Stay Awhile, and Listen | Moody Ambience Video | Scary Stories and Rain | Sleep and Relax | 8 HOURS

[Music] [Music] welcome to scary stories in ambient rain this video is designed to help you relax or sleep with minimal ads of course as in all my videos so just as a reminder there are only four ads in this video after the first four stories by the way follow me on social media for a face reveal and if you haven't subscribed yet what are you waiting for I will continue To post these videos for many years to come always with minimal ads also if you could please like the video for me it really helps out

a lot and last thing thank you for choosing to be here when I know that you have many other options now let's begin before I get into this story I want to say that I'm an extreme skeptic of anything having to do with ghosts I have a hard time believing the things in This story really happened to me so I totally understand if you can't believe them however I just have to say it everything that I'm telling here is true this all started when I moved into the townhouse I currently live in so about 4

years ago it is a two-bedroom two-floor home living alone sometimes you imagine things are happening in your home that aren't that's what I thought for the first few months Anyway at first all it was is what sounded like footsteps upstairs these aren't new homes so at first I figured it was just a house creaking but I could swear it sounded like distinct footsteps I never heard them when I was upstairs only when I was downstairs so I thought it was the upper level just creaking about 6 months later my husband and I got married and

he moved in with me shortly after that we got a Kitten all this time I still hear these footsteps but I don't say anything to anyone because I honestly just don't think it's that weird until our cat starts staring upstairs while she's downstairs if any of you have cats you know this isn't really that weird cats often do stare at places with this look like they can see something that you don't so again I try to just justify that this is normal cat stuff until she starts backing away like she's Scared that was the first

time I even considered the possibility of a ghost but again I am an extreme skeptic so I tried to just ignore it except it happens again and this time my husband sees her do it that's when I told him about the footsteps he looked at me and said I hear them too from then on we kind of joke about them every time we hear them we say it's just the shadow person this goes on for About a year one night when my sister is over she heard us joking about it she looked at us and

told me that she's been hearing it since she stayed with me that first Summer she says that they scare her she thought she was the only one who noticed them so now I've confirmed that two other people and a cat also hear these footsteps it's far from confirmation of the existence of ghosts but I'm not Telling this story simply because of footsteps we all heard no it gets weirder after about 2 months of living here we had our son that's when all the activity in the house picked up we would hear the footsteps almost every

night they started only sounding like they were coming from my son's room room specifically there is one stop directly next to his crib that makes a very loud Creek and that's what I would hear the Creek would be so loud and sound so much like someone was upstairs my husband and I would actually run up to check on our son because it legitimately sounded like someone could be up there months of this went by and I still was not convinced of any Paranormal Activity this next instance though would be what changed my mind my son

had just learned how to point he would point at things to show me things to comment or to ask what they Were we were downstairs and my sister's cat was visiting my son is pointing around the room and suddenly he points to the top of the stairs the same spot that my cat occasionally looks at in fear he looks concerned and then scared and then starts almost crying this was the first time he has ever acted like this I then notice that my sister's cat is looking in the same Exact spot doing the same exact

thing that my cat does I got really freaked out by this I'm actually getting chills just telling it now remembering how scared my son was it was after this that I started telling people about it some people looked at me like I'm crazy but my sister and husband completely believed me it was hard to know if I was exaggerating or if this was really happening until the week I think it picked up my Son I have a Wi-Fi operated baby monitor if anyone knows what the nanet is they'll know exactly what I'm talking about basically

this monitor records any activity that goes on in the night it will notify you for any motion or sound and you can rewatch any activity later so I wake up one morning and look through the notifications from the night to see how well my son slept when I see a notification that he was taken out of bed asleep at 4:00 A.m. I played back the footage and could not see any reason for it to give me this notification my son did not move nothing was blocking the camera and no one was awake at that time

you can say it was an error and maybe it was but I have not gotten that notification before or since this incident that night I went to sleep with my window open I woke up to my husband kissing me goodbye I hear him go Downstairs get ready and walk out the front door because my window is open I very clearly could hear him lock the door and pull it not once not twice but three times to confirm that it was locked I say this with certainty firstly because I heard it but secondly because my husband

has mild OCD and he does the same thing literally every single time he leaves the house I went back to sleep when I woke up I found the same Notification that my son was taken out of bed while he was asleep I went in to check on him and he was fine I went downstairs to get some coffee and on my way I look at the front door I noticed it was unlocked I opened it to confirm that it was indeed unlocked I'm now on edge I call our complex to make sure no one came

in while we were asleep no one did when my son wakes up I Go to get him ready and he starts looking in the hallway the same way he did the first time this time we are upstairs with it usually we are downstairs but now my son is looking directly behind me and starts crying I'm not going to lie and say that I feel some evil presence there but I did feel something like something was watching me I quickly closed the door so that my son could not see anything anymore and I Said very loudly

and firmly please go away you are not welcome here you're scaring him it was something my sister told me to say I felt a little ridiculous saying it but at that point I didn't know what else to do I did instantly feel like I was not being watched anymore and my son stopped crying so we went about our day like normal that day turned into a year I never mentioned this to anyone because I thought they may not believe it Because I didn't but I don't hear those footsteps anymore in fact I haven't heard them

once since that morning last night my husband and I were talking and I asked him if he had heard the shadow person recently he said actually no I haven't heard it in a long time so I told him what happened he was shocked because we realized not a single Thing has happened since I asked them to leave I guess that's why I'm telling this him not hearing anything was kind of the confirmation I needed to realize that it was real I don't think it was an evil ghost or intended any harm to my son I

think whoever it was just maybe liked him and wanted to watch him sleep or something maybe they were lonely whatever the reason I hope they are free now And no longer stuck to my [Applause] home I was standing with my older brother both of us smoking outside my parents porch my family and I grew up in a very superstitious part of the American southwest I guess you could say in a part of America where all there is is is a very strong fear of Skin Walkers I know I know another skin walker story but what

I witnessed Alongside my brother felt chillingly real a few years before this incident my older brother and I encountered something in our parents' backyard so we have always been a bit on edge at night around our neighborhood I still am to this day that and we grew up in a culture that discourages people from w ing around at night without some sort of cultural blessing but we were a few years older smoking our cigarettes catching up Because my brother was attending college in the city and I was finishing up my junior year in high school

I was rambling on about something when I saw my brother's startled look out at the neighbor's yard I looked over at what he was staring at and found myself looking at a shadowy figure standing outside of our neighbor's house and it's hard to to describe this Shadow as its figure was basically blacker than the night outside the dim glow of the street Lights having an almost Shadow Radiance if that makes any sense it was standing on the side of our neighbor's house and while I couldn't see its face I knew that it was staring at

our neighbors draped Windows my brother and I looked at each other with disbelief we had both heard the stories about skinwalkers roaming around at night I mean we both witnessed that sort of thing years ago but it was only a Glimpse followed by hearing the most otherworldly horrifying howl that sounded both human and animal but this was different it was like seeing something that we were never meant to see something even more Sinister we said nothing to each other turning our gaze back towards the figure which was still staring at the neighbor's window after it

seemed like a long moment the figure started to slowly turn And walk to our neighbor's backyard but the way it moved was a surreal sight it looked to be moving both slow and fast at the same time like jogging in place except it was gliding along then it moved towards a group of neighborhood dogs and I knew these were neighborhood dogs because I recognized almost every one of them under the dim Tangerine backyard light but they they weren't scared by the shadow figure in fact they looked to be welcoming it the Dogs formed a crowd

outside the figure which stopped and I swear to this day it morphed down onto all fours spraying a black tail and disappeared into the night with the group of neighborhood dogs following I looked at my brother and asked dude what did you put into these cigarettes we both nervously chuckled but we knew what we saw and hurried back inside making sure we took our cigarette butts with us inside our dad and younger Brother were asleep but our mom was still up we told our mom what happened and she instructed us to go outside to get

some wood to burn she smeared Ash onto our foreheads and we ventured outside to gather some firewood while walking towards the wood pile we noticed that our street light which was on when we were heading back inside after stamping out our cigarettes was now out the only street light out in the entire Neighborhood we saw it as a sign of something being around and hurried to gather the wood right when we were about to head inside we could smell it the strong putrid Scent of a dead animal we knew right there and then that we

were in the middle of all those stories that we had heard about skinwalkers we didn't stop to take a look around instead we made haste back into our house and built a fire we told Our mom what we smelled outside and she marched outside with a fresh tin of Ash to confront whatever was out there she yelled in English and her native language to leave us alone we've not done anything to you and commanded for it to leave by the traditional ways she sprinkled Ash outside our front porch and back porch and anchored a bow

and arrow above the door leading out towards the back porch we slept that night without any More incidents months later when I moved to the city to live with my older brother and work for the summer I get a call from our mom she told me that the neighbor who lived in the house that the shadow figure was outside of died of cancer whatever we saw that night still chill me to this day I should start my story by letting everyone know that I decidedly do not believe in ghosts I was raised in a Religious

home and I still hold those beliefs now as an adult the Bible is fairly clear about ghosts it's okay if you believe something different but I think it's important to the context of this story for you to understand mine however I do believe in spirits both good and evil I'm not sure which of those was involved in this experience but I do believe that is what I encountered when I was a senior in high school my teenage angst reached a fever Pitch I was convinced that I was more knowledgeable about the real world and what

I considered fairness than my dad and stepmother as such I moved out of my home about 6 months before graduation I knew a group of guys that lived in a house about 30 minutes away this house belonged to one of the guy's parents until they had let the bank foreclose I'm not sure of the details exactly but the bank hadn't completed The foreclose and we all lived there with only the utilities as expenses it was a large house two stories four bedrooms 2 and 1/2 baths there were only three guys living there at the time

so they had an open room I somehow got them to agree to my living there for only 100 bucks a month which was a big steal especially considering I only had a part-time job at that time one of the guys was never there at all living with his girlfriend I think one guy we'll Call him Jimmy was going to college and working full-time he would crash in town sometimes so he was only there for about 2 nights night a week the other roommate who will'll call Brad was only there two or three nights a week

I don't remember why though obviously I spent a majority of the week at the house alone one of these nights I was alone I turned the light out and got on my mattress on the floor I had nothing to my name but a mattress and a weapon at this stage of Life I was just starting to drift off to sleep and could hear someone walking around downstairs I thought Jimmy was home as he was the only one who would get home at this hour one other thing you should understand about the house was that all

of the bedrooms were upstairs mine being right at the end of the stairs the stairs went up halfway turned 90° and continued up to the second floor to a hallway so anyone who went up the stairs went to my bedroom Door I hear who I think is Jimmy walking around downstairs then all at once I hear them come up the stairs at a full run violently stomping on every stair as they go it was very fast like sprinting up the stairs while trying to make as much noise as possible I thought Jimmy was trying to

be funny and scare me so to be funny back I took my weapon a pump action and was going to jump into the hall and rack it really loud while I did I didn't have anything in it it was Empty totally safe well imagine my my surprise when I flung the door open and nobody was there no lights on nobody home I went room by room and carefully checked the entire house all the doors were locked no cars outside I was totally alone with no explanation for what I had heard fast forward a month or

so Brad and Jimmy are at home with me we were talking about the house and how it looked like the bank was finally going To take possession and we would all have to move I mentioned that I wasn't terribly disappointed by this because the house kind of gave me the creeps Brad and Jimmy exchange a look at that comment Brad then asks why I say that I tell them the story about the stair stomping again they exchanged a look without saying anything when I asked what was going on Brad said that he had a similar

experience just a week or so before Brad dad's room was the master Bedroom his floor had a spot that we called the squeak you could probably guess that we called it this because if you stepped there the floor would squeak loudly not uncommon for a two-story home we all just avoided that spot when walking around anyway Brad went on to say that he was at home alone drifting off to sleep when he had heard someone walk up the stairs to the second floor he assumed it was me getting home home then His door slowly swung

open and then back shut Brad said that he sat there in the dark thinking I was sneaking in his room to scare him or something then he hears the squeak make its usual noise and finally he feels his bed do that lean that beds do when someone sits on it thinking that he would get me first he reached out to slap what he thought was me sitting on the side of his bed only when he slapped there was nothing there Brad got up Turned the light on searched his room and eventually the entire house nobody

was there in fact I was 40 minutes away at the time staying with a friend at hearing each other's stories we all didn't really know what to make of it in fact we didn't really discuss it much further because I didn't want to acknowledge what we could not explain finally the time came for us to move out the power had been turned off there was no water and we had all found New places to live I had been staying at my new apartment for over a month when Brad calls me to tell me that if

I had anything left at the house that I needed to get it within the next couple of days so I asked a friend we'll call her Mary to ride over there with me to grab a couple things we get there and I tell Mary that I'll be right back and to just wait in the car I go go in go right up the stairs go to my room grab my things and then leave I didn't want to be there More than I had to when I get in the car Mary asks me I thought you

only had stuff in your room I did I told her then why were you in that room she asks pointing to the office on the opposite end of the house I wasn't I said I went straight to my room and then right back out Mary has this really confused look on her face now I never told her about the stories about what we had experienced there so I know she wouldn't try to Tease me well right after you went in those curtains moved to the side stayed pulled back a minute and then went back to

normal just before you came out must have been from the AC or something or maybe a ceiling fan all I told her was yeah must have been the wind but inside I knew there was no power to the house no AC no ceiling fans and no person at the end of that House no logical reason for those curtains to move I quickly put the car in drive and left my roommates and I had great times in that house we played a lot of pranks we had some great laughs and made some lifelong memories together however

I'm glad I didn't live there longer than I did because obviously we had a roommate of some kind that we were completely unaware [Applause] Of I was lucky when I was a kid I lived in the country and had open-minded parents that didn't really care where I went what I did or how late I stayed out call it bad parenting if you want but they trusted me to not get into too much trouble I of course did still get into trouble but not of my own making usually colid was my best friend he lived right

next door and during the summer it wasn't a question whether or not we were going to hang out it was understood that We were every single day he was one year older than me and he kind of acted like my big brother when crossing a small stream or walking through thorn I would hop onto his back and he would hoof it with no complaints even though many times afterward blood would trickle down his leg I never really saw him get scared not of anything really except the last day that I ever saw him one day

in early July we decided to pack a backpack with snacks Capri Suns and Waters hike Through the Wilderness to a big beautiful oak tree that we favored among so many around the area this tree was perfect for climbing it had plenty of shade it was the ideal place for two kids to chill on a summer afternoon while discussing video games and naked ladies we walked over 2 miles without any problems but as we neared the tree I swear I could just feel this looming sense of something different not Necessarily something wrong just different from the

norm we had done this same walk and climbed this same tree dozens of times and I never had this feeling before today we reached the tree both of us sweating it was really hot that day and I was anxiously waiting to gulp down 80% of my water that I brought as we climbed the tree I heard something it sounded like someone or something was below us but when I looked Down nothing was there we settled onto the fattest branch that was great for sit with maximum shade colid unzipped the pack and tossed a turkey and

cheese sandwich at me laughing as I almost dropped it I said dude he laughed and responded relax I knew you wouldn't drop it we began eating and talking he was going on about a substitute teacher that he had earlier that year who he swears had a crush on Him meanwhile I was carving Goku into a tree right next to the faded Cloud Strife suddenly a man spoke from right below us hi colid stopped mids sentence and we both stared down at this man like a couple of deer about to get plowed on the highway honestly

this man scared the crap out of me we were in the middle of nowhere and had never seen another person around here I was frozen but colid replied hi the man looked as if he was Intentionally trying to look creepy he wore a dirty plain white T-shirt and what looked to be old brown slacks that were missing the button and were only held up by the zipper he had long brown hair that was slicked back into a ponytail he stood there with an exaggerated upwards glare at us imagine standing right up against a tall skyscraper

putting your chin up to it and looking straight up that's what he Was doing all the while smiling from ear to ear can you come down here please so I can show you this cool thing I just got I looked at colid shocked at this question colid without missing a beat replied no thanks the man's smile vanished and was replaced by utter Devastation as if you just told him his house burned down the way his expression changed in an instant was nothing short of terrifying That will break my heart baby look it's so sharp now

I'm honestly not sure what was more alarming him calling my friend baby or the giant butcher's knife that he revealed from behind him he held it up so we could see it clearly it looked brand new and shined as if it were covered in some kind of oil colid usually didn't show fear or hesitation when it came to adults but at that moment when I looked over at him Expecting him to shut this guy down his eyes were wide and I saw them fill with water in that moment kid's reaction made this real we were

in a very serious situation col had looked at me for the first time since this stranger appeared I could read his mind in that moment he was scared he had no idea what to say or do somehow don't ask me how I summoned courage that I didn't know I had and Said to the man it's really cool the man shifted his gaze from colid to me get down here his smile returned the courage I just spoke of was gone in an instant my eyes welled up colid forced words out and I could hear the innate

protective Instinct he had for me he's not getting getting down we just got here and we're just hanging out we're not being Bad those last words haunt me to this day they haunt me when colid spoke those last four words I could tell they were spoken while holding back full on tears I had never heard him sound and act like a little kid but in his pure fear in that moment he sounded like a six-year-old it was heartbreaking he was scared I looked down at the man tears streaming down my cheeks at this Point you're

not in trouble I just want to show you this and I'll leave promise the man could definitely see that I was crying and it didn't seem to bother him which was absolute confirmation to me that he was in fact there to do us harm of some kind what happened next is the reason I have therapy three times a week for over 20 years now colid looked at me and shut his eyes Tight preparing to unveil every ounce of courage that he had at his young age okay I'll come down and see it but just for

a second and then we have to go the man smiled wider somehow at this I thought you said you just got here what's the hurry now colid hesitated and responded after 4 or 5 seconds I know but his mom said we couldn't play anymore if I got him home too late I looked back and forth at colid And the man having zero clue what was happening now or what would happen next good idea better get home before it gets dark that's when the monsters come out the man's smile abruptly vanished again come on now get

down hurry up colid looked at me and I shook my head as tears erupted from my eyes as if to urgently say no colid whispered I'll be right back I started shaking my head and was mortified to see the man smiling and Staring at me as I looked down at Ked as he descended when colled was within reach the man put the knife away and with both arms grabbed kid's arms gently here careful I got you I got you here come over here and I'll show you the man started walking callid away and colid looked

up at me one more time with pure fear on his face that strong protective big brother was Gone they disappeared from my view and there was nothing it was as if nothing had happened I was sitting in this tree alone listening to the the wind make its way through the branches and for a moment I imagined that I had made this trip solo none of this just happened colid was safe somewhere else and everything was fine but it Wasn't I heard nothing as I focused on hearing anything anything at all minutes passed like hours and

I eventually came to the horrifying conclusion they were not not coming back adrenaline started to kick in now and I needed to get down to see where they were to leave to just not be in this tree by myself anymore when I reached the bottom with the backpack tightly strapped I looked around Everywhere silence and nothing they were gone I realized I had to get to adults now I had to let them know what happened and so I ran faster than I ever have before or since and when I reached my house I threw up

on my front lawn from exhaustion and pure desperation my mom was on the phone sitting on the porch she promptly ended her call and came over to me the details from that point are Typical calls were made searches were done they never found colid they didn't find find any trace of him at all it's been many years and I think about my friend who was taken almost every day I would rather know what happened to him than win the lottery I would rather know that he was killed then not know not knowing has made my

life black and Gray sadness and without faith in goodness the only thing that helps is telling myself I was wrong the strong and protective Big Brother never left him that day it was never gone it's the only reason I'm telling this story now he was my brother and he protected me I think he knew what would happen but he made sure it wasn't going to happen to me and that's not something I will ever take for granted It was a hot and sticky August in 1999 I was 19 years old young looking forward to spending

the afternoon with my little brothers and family just relaxing I remember I was walking out of the kitchen where our telephone hung in the wall remember the days when the phone was attached to the wall and the receiver attached to a cord oh I miss those days but I digress as I was walking into the dining room Through The Swinging kitchen door my parents Old Cape Cod the phone rang I thought nothing of it as I picked up the phone and cradled it to my ear 6 months earlier my good friend had gone on a

weekend retreat and met someone she was convinced I needed to get to know I eventually caved and said she could give him my phone number Egan was a couple years older than than me and as we began chatting on the phone you know the one connected to the wall in the cord it Seemed we had a lot in common we both enjoyed spending time with friends and family the outdoors being involved in our communities the first time we met was in a park in my hometown we just sat in the grass watching the Ducks and

talking at the end of the afternoon he asked if he could take me on a real date soon I said okay because that seems to be the natural progression of things I don't recall which restaurant We went to or what I ate but I do remember what I wore a knee length red bouncy dress and he showed up to pick me up with a dozen red roses in hand it was an almost fairy tale like evening roses a pretty dress a gentleman dressed in slacks dress shoes and a button-down shirt dinner at a nice restaurant

with a movie afterwards he dropped me off at home we chatted for a while and he promised he would see me again soon after that first real date I began Receiving cards and letters in the mail several times a week as a hopeless romantic it was very endearing in the beginning if I recall correctly we did go on one or two more casual dates the letters and cards kept coming and we chatted often on the phone then one afternoon I received a collect call from Egan who was in jail I accepted the call and he

began speaking frantically as if to try and justify or explain why he was calling Collect from jail by the end of our telephone conversation I knew that he had gotten in trouble as a minor on a few separate occasions and was on probation this was the first time I became aware of that and I was shaken Egan called a few times after he got out of jail but things just didn't feel right after the previous conversation I explained that I didn't think pursuing a relationship was a good Idea and declined any offers to come visit

the letters and cards continued to arrive several times a week and the longer I refused to respond the more threatening they became I vividly remember one of the last letters I received from him which wrote dear Nora I love you I want you back it will be your blood they find at the end of reading that letter I was shaking terrified and unsure of what to do next with some advice from my mom And a few phone calls I was able to get in touch with Egan's probation officer and Report the letter to him the

probation officer stated that he would talk to Egan and that I shouldn't have any problems going forward and to let him know if he continued to send letters the next few months were quiet the letter writing stopped and I slowly went back to a normal routine of not fearing what the mailman would bring next until that sticky August afternoon In 1999 the phone rang I picked it up and held it against my ear hi Nora this is Steve Egan's probation officer are you with one of your parents can you get your mom and can I

speak with both of you before I tell you what's happening I need to know that you you're sitting down and that you have someone close by my heart started racing I started shaking I can feel the sweat that was already just under the surface start to Run down my back and I think I'm going to throw up Egan's probation officer goes on to tell me that he was recently caught mutilating things his behavior was escalating and he was on the run my name had also come up in conversations that Steve had with Egan due to

the combination of his behaviors and verbalizing my name I should leave town with my family as quickly as possible and stay somewhere else that Egan didn't know about stay there until We receive a call that Egan was in custody and things would settle down I also was not to go anywhere alone if I was in my car even with someone else I needed to make sure my windows and doors were locked at all times and I absolutely should not venture out of the house after dark in just a matter of a few hours my family

and I were packed up and headed to a cabin that my grandparents owned I didn't know if it would be a few days a Few weeks or longer before he was caught and when I could even go back home 3 days later I received a call that he had been picked up and that my family and I could return home 3 days that felt like 3 years those letters haunt me I still get a knot in my stomach at times when I go to get the mail it was nearing the end of the summer of

senior year and my best friend who I'll call Will was leaving to go to College about an hour away so we wouldn't be able to hang out with our friend group for the rest of the summer he wanted to have one last Harrah so we decided we would go walking along the train tracks behind our school our favorite hangout spot only one friend who I'll call Miles was able to join us from the get-go but a friend named Chris texted us saying that he would be able to meet up with us in just a little

bit the train tracks were separated from the School parking lot with stretches of woods with it probably being an 8-minute walk to actually reach the train tracks the woods to get to the tracks were a cross- country track route so there was usually a path carved out for us however since it was the summer and there was no practice a lot of the surrounding bushes and plant leaves had grown over the paths obscuring a lot of what we had to walk through it wasn't that bad though just a noticeable difference and we were Able to

get to the tracks fine we walked a bit further along the tracks before we decided to go off across another trotten path that led to a clearing just to explore a bit more along the way we passed a completely pristine bike which we were surprised by wondering why someone would just leave it out there they probably just assumed no one was going to be there so that it was a safe place for it we got to the clearing and will and Miles wanted to climb some Trees I stayed down because I'm quite vertically challenged and

a lot of the climbing required holding on to branches that I could not quite reach only one tree around was suitable for climbing though so Miles climbed at first keeping his phone down near me with Will going up afterwards he stayed hanging on the tree for a little bit with me and Miles talking up to him when I noticed a person com to my Peripheral it was a middle-aged white man in a windbreaker I couldn't tell much else though I was a bit uneasy as it was an overcast even drizzly day and I didn't expect

anyone else to be out let alone a grown man I kept my peripheral on him and expected him to just keep going along the path but he stopped walking about 20 ft away from us miles noticed him too he greeted us saying Hey or how are you doing or something and I Instinctively kind of muttered something back with a wave of the hand but then he just continued standing there not even keeping up conversation or anything just looking I could tell Miles was kind of freaked out too but will wasn't exactly getting the memo I

went to pick up Will's phone that was now on the ground and said we should go back to meet with Chris and Miles agreed with me saying that he should be there soon will began To climb down and we left the clearing from the path we came on pretending to not acknowledge the man who was still just standing there and making different uneasy small talk we didn't turn back to look though and once we were far enough away assumedly me and Miles commented on how we thought that guy was going to do something and will

jokingly said that we were too paranoid we ended up meeting up with Chris and the rest of the day was fine but still I wonder what the man wanted was he just mentally ill or something or just awkward maybe he was homeless as tents in that area of the forest were kind of common was he Maybe the owner of the bike that we saw and wanted to make sure we weren't trying to steal it of course there's no way to be sure but both me and Miles had a gut feeling that we definitely should not

have stuck around There to find out [Applause] overall the new experience of fatherhood to me is packed full of positives that far outweigh any negative aspects of having children you really do feel more exhausted than you ever have felt you really won't be able to balance everything you used to and still have time to function as a father you become extremely aware and Hypervigilant your dad isn't crazy he really can tell that somebody touched the thermostat he really does know when you walked into a room even if you didn't touch anything a lot of fathers

with strong parental instincts tend to basically know where their kids are what they are up to and generally speaking what's going on at all times seemingly without prying into any Details such seems to be the case with me so far that being said I am extremely guarded in public these days days and I watch my family like a hawk what happened next would flip on all my switches and keep me up late for days I saw my wife out the door for work and my stepson to school shortly after down the narrow wooden stairwell with

an echoing clatter of steps silence and the loud Stomps of an 11-year-old boy Trudging down the stairs every other step and slamming the door behind him silence I had the house to myself for about an hour to drink some coffee and wake up in the warm glow of the peaceful morning sun beaming through into my still and Serene apartment before my son was up and going after a quick bottle and a change I had him in his activity center to watch some sensory shows our apartment Is small the nursery adjoins the living room and the

living room adjoins the kitchen where my desk and computer area is in a nutshell my son can watch television in his activity center in the living room and from the other side of the apartment sitting at my desk I can keenly observe the movement of a bouncing static crop of fresh blonde hair glowing in the warmth of the incoming sunlight like the top of a fuzzy Cactus illuminated in the Window I had been sitting at my desk grinding through a piece I was writing three or four cups of coffee deep and still without breakfast I

was stuck in Rider's block at this point and just sort of staring at the screen trying to figure out where to go I needed some air I grabbed my cup of coffee and my vape pen and opened the curtain so I could easily see in through the window to watch my son from this angle I could see him happily playing away turning and Bouncing from this way to that occasionally stopping to glance up at the television this balcony looks out far into field on one side and has a thick Grove of trees to the left

shadowing my backyard and the Neighbors in a thick blanket of lush green and dark shade my back deck has since become a Quick Escape for me and something I found grounding it would take me a while to Find that piece in my space again when I looked over to see some recycling that didn't quite make it into the bin and I bent down to grab it I looked up and at a quick glance through my reflection in the double pane of glass just ahead of my nose I saw the figure of a large man standing

alone in my living room between the doorway and my son seemingly staring down at him and observing for whatever reason I don't even want to know my heart began to flutter to stomp as my Vision began to narrow my mind racing in response to this I quickly barreled in through my kitchen door and and basically leaped into the kitchen in a panic there was no one there the apartment was empty save for my sun bouncing away and babbling away playfully I quickly checked all the exits and the potential open Windows closets and down the old

stairs to the front to no avail it didn't take me very long to realize that there was no Possible way that in that time I got into the living room I would wouldn't have heard somebody making a quick exit down the stairs or out of a window if there were indeed an intruder in my home relieved that my boy was safe and everything was okay I started to let my guard down and settle down as in the experience came to an apparent end but it still left me pretty shaken up maybe I was just tired

and stressed I'm not sure what happened or Why but the more I sit and well on it the more and more I'm convinced that there may have been something more at work here that was not meant to be seen as time goes on I often try to forget about it but on those restless nights when I find myself awake I can't help but recollect as I hear the soft creaking of the stairwell now louder than ever before I once knew this maintenance guy who told me this gruesome story at the time This story took place

he worked at a lower class motel that sat in the heart of his downtown area the motel featured a historic two-story building with individual cabins near the back of the property for this particular story an older gentleman requested one of the private cabins for a week while his home was being either worked on renovated but no one really remembers exactly everything went normally with the guest at first his comings and goings were as Expected as far as normal Motel guests go he would come and go maybe once or twice a day in fact the guest

was so normal that no one even noticed that they had not seen him in about 4 days or so as per usual protocol the motel front desk Staff first attempted to check in on the guest on the day that he was set to check out after a few attempts to speak with the guest by calling his cabin and also by knocking on his door the front desk Staff had no other choice but to call upon the maintenance guy for the master key when the maintenance guy tried and failed to get an answer at the cabin

door he had no other choice but to use his master key to open it but as soon as he opened the door a horrid smell hit him like a freight train take into account that it was a hot summer day and where we live does get hot and I mean desert hot unfortunately in this case the AC in the Guest's cabin was not on that day so as you can imagine the maintenance gu started to gag without even having entered the room for inside the motel's cabin laying on the bed was what remained of the

missing guest the man had decomposed so much already that he was practically beyond recognition already according to the unfortunate maintenance guy the body was literally pooling in its own liquid on the bed when a body rots within the four Walls of a small room especially the moisture from the rotting body stays in the air inside the room as a result the body can't dry out out and that encourages more insect larvae to form faster than Outdoors that and the lack of direct sunlight as insect larvae prefers shadier conditions in order to thrive causing decomposition to

take place faster indoors so when the coroner arrived to pick up the body they were Only able to get most of the body instead of all of it so unfortunately the poor maintenance guy was stuck picking up the pieces literally in my opinion and his Hazmat should have been called to clean up the gruesome scene in that small motel cabin but unfortunately the poor maintenance guy got stuck disposing of the mattress soaked with the man's fluids after all the maintenance guy was only doing what his boss told him to do The real kicker is that

the very next day after the room was cleaned the motel staff moved a young woman right into that very same cat [Applause] [Applause] the town of engleswood was in the middle of nowhere according to the map I had never heard of it before and neither had any of my friends when I had asked them before leaving even more strange was receiving correspondence from a relative I hadn't spoken to since I was a young child it had come out of of nowhere a letter proclaiming my great uncle to be dead and informing me that I had

inherited a slaughter house in a town I had never even heard of a slaughterhouse of all things I might have thought it was a prank had there not been a rusted metal key included in the letter somehow part of me knew the key was real and that it belonged to the slaughterhouse my great uncle had once owned the Ownership had been passed on to me for reasons as of yet unknown and I would have to drive up there in order to settle the inheritance which is why I was currently driving down a long Serpentine Road

through a dense cluster of trees it was still early afternoon but the sky was gray and heavy casting a dismal PA over the forest Shadows crept out of the trees and onto the road making it difficult to see without my headlamps I shuffled forward in my seat Hands gripping the wheel tighter as the trees grew around me I had been driving for just over 3 hours now and it had been at least 30 minutes since I had last seen another car according to my map I should be almost there yet I hadn't seen any sign

of civilization nothing but empty fields and abandoned ramshackle buildings in the middle of nowhere and now this Forest that seemed endless and labyrinthine the tires hit something in The road and the car jerked throwing me forward in my seat I slammed my foot on the brakes and the car skitted to a stop gravel hissing beneath the tires I glanced into my rear view and spied a shadow on the road but I couldn't tell what it was had I hit an animal or something I hadn't seen anything I debated ignoring it and driving off but in

the end I cut the engine and climbed out of the car the air benath the trees was cold and goosebumps prickled the Back of my neck as I walked over to the misshapen lump on the road the smell hit me first the smell of old rot and blood it was an animal carcass a rabbit perhaps or something else it was too mangled and bloodied for me to tell flies buzzed around the torn flesh the gray glint of bone poking beneath the fur whatever it was it had been dead for a while I stood up and

shook my head lip curling against the stench I had moved it off the road but I didn't have Anything with me that would do the trick and I would rather not touch it without proper protection I would have to leave it maybe carryon Birds would come and pick it clean later I returned to my car feeling a little bit nauseated and drove off watching the dead animal disappear behind me this 15 minutes later I finally broke free from the forest muted gray sunlight parted the clouds dappling the Windscreen on the other side of the trees

were more Fields still empty I found it odd that there was no cattle around no sheep or pigs either what was the use of a slaughterous if there was nothing to slaughter in the distance I glimpsed a small cluster of buildings it was more like a settlement than a town Stone and brick and straw not the kind of place I had expected to find myself inheriting a building had my great uncle really lived out here in the middle of Nowhere was that why I have never heard of him the road turned loose and rded and

the car jerked and bumped as I drove closer to the town a small sign weathered and covered in mud read welcome to engleswood at least it had a sign the place wasn't a made up town after all I pulled the car to a stop at the side of the road and pulled out my map again the letter had contained specific coordinates to the slaughterous which according to the map Was a little distance away from the town itself on the very borders if I followed the road for a couple more miles and then took a left

I should arrive at the house a flutter of nervous energy tightened my stomach I didn't really know what to expect when I got there or what I was going to do about the situation the only reason I had driven down here was to get a better understanding of things assess the area And try and figure out what to do should I sell the slaughter house or move here the latter option didn't sound particularly appealing after getting a glimpse of the area but I wouldn't know until I had a proper look around I followed the loose

Gravel Road for a little while longer before spotting a turnoff to the left the remains of a broken stone wall lined the path and I spotted another sign that was too rusted to read signaling to turn even though There were no other cars in the area I followed the path through the sheltered wooded area until I reached a small house it was more of a cottage really with white bricks and a thatched roof the place had an air of dilapidation about it as though nobody had lived here in a while considering my great uncle had

only recently passed away I knew that wasn't true beside the house was a large freestanding shed a rusted padlock was chained around the doors and I knew Without a doubt that the key I had been given was the key to the shed did that mean the shed was the slaughterhouse I parked the car in the grass and climbed out the air out here was fresh and pleasant a nice change from the city though beneath the fragrance of nature I could smell something else something darker richer old blood and rust and butchered meat I threw a

brief glance at my surroundings my gaze skimmed past the Trees and the fields and the faint curl of smoke blotting the distant Sky I couldn't hear anything beyond the wind no bird song No chittering Bugs I couldn't hear cars or people or anything that would suggest there was a town nearby I let out a s maybe it would feel lonely living out here I was used to the city after all I grabbed my ruck sack from the trunk and fished out the letter and the key I had been given no key to The house which

was odd I had phoned my great uncle's executor before driving out here but apparently all material belongings were still inside the house and the shed key was the only thing that had been passed on to me directly I walked up to the cottage's door and tried the handle locked unsurprisingly if I couldn't figure out a way to get inside I would have to call a locksmith out here which could take hours muttering in frustration I began Rooting around the rocks and broken plant pots sitting outside the cottage whatever plants had once resided there were now

wither SED and shriveled their roots black and gnarled as they poked through the soil I turned one of the empty pots over and grinned when my eyes caught a glint of silver I hadn't had my hopes up so finding the key immediately lifted my spirits at least now I could get inside the house leaving the slaughterhouse locked for now I headed Inside the cottage the air was stale and heavy with dust and my eyes immediately started to water how long had it been since anyone had opened to that door I wasn't familiar with the circumstances

of my great uncle's death so I wasn't sure if he had spent his last moments in the house or not that thought made me shudder as my nose picked up on the smell of damp and mold apart from some minimal Furnishings the house was mostly bare I didn't know What kind of man my great uncle was but apparently he didn't like clutter and he very rarely dusted I ran a finger over to the sideboard in the hallway and grimaced at the thick layer of dust clinging to my skin if I did decide to stay here

it was going to take a lot of work to get this place up to standard the longer I stayed here the more I wanted to leave without looking around but I couldn't ignore it forever at some point I would have to Assess the state of the slaughterhouse and make a decision about what what to do with it I went through each room casting a cursory look over the furniture and testing the electricity and water supply everything still seemed to be running which was a bonus I had already planned to stay the night here so having

hot water and lighting would make things easier upstairs I paused on the landing to peer out the window at the back of The house was a field of brown uncut grass and some stilted shrubs I could just see the edge of the shed beside the cottage the old Woods stained and weathered in the distance I could see the cluster of houses that formed the village as I was about to turn away I glimpsed movement at the edge of the property amongst the tree line someone stood between the trees watching me I couldn't get a good

view of their face but in the brief glance it seemed gray And Hollow like like Wax the figure darted away through the trees and disappeared I frowned that unease from earlier returning was it a villager shaking it off I searched the upstairs room a large master bedroom and a bathroom a linen cupboard and a smaller guest bedroom was all that was up here like downstairs everything up here was old and run down covered in a Thick layer of dust and mildew I closed the bedroom door behind me and went back down into the kitchen where

I had left my ruck sack The Rusted key to the slaughterhouse sat on the table where I had left it I figured it was about time I went to see what I was dealing with next door grabbing the key I left the house and went across to the shed the metal of the padlock was Ice Cold against my fingertips as I inserted the key and twisted it the lock fell Away and the door edged open with a creek Shadows Spilled Out across my feet I peered into the darkness as I gripped the edge of the

door and pulled it open further the air inside smelled stale and old that same undercurrent of Old Blood ran beneath the surface drawing in a deep breath I pushed the door the rest of the way and stepped inside letting the dull afternoon light filter inside the slaughter house was nothing like I had Been expecting inside was nothing but an empty shed the wood was damp and starting to rot the Ground full of old hay there was no equipment that you would expect of a slaughterhouse no cold room to store the meat it was just an

empty shed perhaps it wasn't a functioning slaughter house after all but then why had it been called as such in the inheritance something glinted in the sunlight and I Looked up several large metal hooks hung from the ceiling the kind that you hung meat onto but what was the point when there was nowhere to prepare it unless I was missing something this was a plain old shed with some leftover meat hooks still stuck to the ceiling I raked a hand through my hair and sighed was it a waste coming all the way out here I

shook my head not a waste I still had to figure out what to do with this place now that it was legally Mine leaving the slaughter house I relocked it and pocketed the key before heading back into the house it was getting on in the afternoon and I was tired from driving all morning so I decided to grab a bite to eat while I considered my options by the time evening had rolled around I still hadn't made up my mind about this place there was wasn't much Merit to staying here if the slaughterhouse couldn't actually

be used And I didn't particularly fancy being stuck in the middle of nowhere I could sell it but not as it was it would take a bit of work to get it into a decent State and make it appealing to a potential buyer the final option was to just leave it here Gathering dust but that seemed a waste I had debated heading to the Village to see who lived around here but after spying that that strange figure watching me from the trees part of me Had been reluctant to venture too far from the house maybe

I would walk down there in the morning as dusk grew outside Shadows encroached further into the cottage and a chill crept into my bones I turned on most of the lights and went around drawing the curtains to block out the night I wasn't fond of sleeping in unfamiliar places so I spread my sleeping bag on the floor of the downstairs sitting room instead of Upstairs using hot water from the kitchen I made myself some instant noodles and ate them from the packet listening to the radiator Clank and groan as it rattled to life being on

my own in a strange house was starting to make me feel a little unsettled so I turned on the television to fill the silence nothing but static burst from the screen so I switched it off just as quickly with nothing else to do I headed to bed early I nestled into the sleeping Bag and spread another blanket over me to ward off the chill and fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow I woke up early the next morning to the sound of someone tapping at the window blinking away the grogginess in my eyes

I sat up the room was still dark shadows lingering around the edges I reached over to a switch on the lamp and stretched the CCS out of my neck from camping out on the floor all night what was making that noise the Curtains were still drawn but I could see movement in the gaps around the edges climbing swiftly to my feet I walked over to the window and tentatively pulled the curtain aside peering out a Beady black eye stared back it was a crow ruffling its ink black feathers it tapped its beak three more times

against the glass before were flying away I watched it Go frowning Dawn had yet to break and the Sky was still in the clutches of night according to my watch it wasn't even 500 a.m. yet I was awake now though so I dragged myself into the kitchen to get some instant coffee on the go I'd slept right through the night but I remembered having strange dreams in the midst of it dreams about meat and flesh and bloodied metal hooks no doubt because of the circumstances I had found myself in when I returned to the living

room I found the key to the Slaughter house sitting on top of my ruck sack I thought I had left it on the kitchen table and seeing it elsewhere left me momentarily disconcerted had I moved it there I must have there was nobody else here but me maybe I'd slept less well than IID thought I didn't trust the pipes enough to to have a hot shower so I changed into a fresh pair of clothes and drank my coffee until it grew light outside it was another damp gray day and The forest was as silent as

it had been last night wherever that Crow had flown off to it wasn't anywhere close by once it was light enough to see by I grabbed the key to the shed and went outside to investigate I didn't expect it to look any different but maybe having had a full night's rest would give me a different kind of insight into what to do with the place I unlocked the door letting the padlock and chain fall to the ground With a heavy thump and pulled it open inside was dim and it took a second for my eyes

to adjust as soon as I glanced inside I froze my heart lurching into my throat The Slaughterhouse was no longer empty thick slabs of dark meat now hung from The Rusted hooks the air thick with the smell of Flesh and Blood where had it come from last night there had been nothing in here the shed had been locked and as Far as I was aware the only key to open it was in my possession how had this meat gotten in here and who was responsible I took a step inside feeling perturbed and perplexed by the

discovery there was just under a dozen chunks of Flesh all lean and expertly cut glistening red in the Morning Light I wasn't familiar with meat in this form so I couldn't tell which animal it belonged to but I could tell It had been prepared recently all of a sudden I felt unnerved and unsafe what was going on here this was supposed to be my property yet someone had clearly been creeping around here last night hauling slabs of meat into my shed I didn't like the thought of it at all as I tried to sift through

my thoughts I heard approaching footsteps from behind my heart pulsed faster as I turned around not sure what to expect a group Of about 20 people were approaching the property from the trees the first thing I noticed about them was their gauntness like that mysterious figure I had seen in the forest their skin was palid and their flesh sunken their clothes hanging like Rags off bony shoulders they looked starved mate one of the strangers cried their voice horse and brittle we have meat again someone echoed we are Saved what I muttered stumbling back in surprise

at the group of people presumably from the village Drew closer what's going on you brought us BL meat you saved us the older villager at the front of the mob said reaching out his hands in a thankful gesture before I could do or say anything the villagers piled into the shed and began removing the meat from the hooks slinging it over their shoulders with joyful Cries wait what are you doing I blurted a gast at their actions the man from before tottered up to me his eyes sunken and his cheek Hollow thank you we are

so happy The Slaughterhouse has a new owner he seemed about to turn away so I quickly grabbed his arm my fingers digging into his flesh wait what's going on here where did this meat come from a slow smile spread across the man's face revealing pink Toothless Gums you don't know this place is cursed see he pointed into the shed and I followed his gaze fresh meat was starting to grow from The Hook materializing from thin air the flesh grew and expanded until it was the same size as the others and one of the villagers quickly

removed it from the hook I stared in bewildered silence struggling to piece together what I was seeing what was happening here where was was the meat coming From how could it just appear like that I still don't understand I finally uttered in a horse whisper it felt like I was in the middle of a dream or a nightmare the hooks give us flesh the man said I shook my head but where does it come from this flesh that never stops growing on these hooks is the Flesh of the slaughter House's owner it's your flesh the

man explained his dark eyes glistening in the Dimness behind me meat continued to grow from the hooks and the villagers continued to harvest it my flesh I whispered the words sticking in my throat what do you mean I looked down at myself I was still intact How Could It Be My Flesh it's a reproduction of your flesh this flesh never rots never goes bad it is as alive as you are the man still wasn't making sense How Could It Be My Flesh how was any of this possible the villagers this place were crazy the longer

I stayed the more danger I would be in I had to leave as soon as possible and as if reading the thoughts on my face the man placed a hand on my arm a warning look in his eye there are conditions you must follow however he said his voice a low rasp If You Ever Leave This Town your bond to this place will be broken and the flesh will start to Rot my mouth went bone dry the ground feeling unsteady beneath my feet you mean the man nodded when the meat begins to rot so do

you your body will Decay and eventually perish and we the ones who rely on your flesh will starve you have no choice but to stay here for the rest of your life and feed us with the flesh from your body that is your duty he said tightening his old crooked fingers Around my arm There Is No Escape you must accept your fate or wither away just like the owner before you back in 1997 when I was a senior in high school I was part of the guitar player skateboarder stoner groups my name is Peter I

had a good friend who played bass guitar in my band his name was Reuben and he had a younger brother named giri who was a freshman we let him Play keyboards in the band Reuben was very charismatic and outgoing but giri was more quiet and reserved one day I was hanging out at their house in LA marada California and we were all getting stoned and drunk I wound up hanging out with giri in his room and we listen to Black Sabbath Zeppelin and panta he winds up giving me a t-shirt that was Black Sabbath please

note in the background of the shirt there was a Hanging noose more about this later anyhow most people didn't really engage him too deeply but we had a good conversation and he started opening up to me about life and stuff he wound up selling me an epone Les Paul guitar that was black it was a really cool guitar that he really liked but for some reason he let it go to me for a good price I remember several weeks later when we were all getting wasted at zapa Pan park in Roseme Gary took off from

the group on foot to go see a gal he really liked he came back the following day looking dismayed I got a call from my lady friend Alexis on April Fool's Day and she told me giri was gone I called BS but Alexis wasn't one to mess around like that she had a big heart the hippie type she told me that he took his own life in the garage I couldn't believe it it was a hanging I wasn't very close with him but It was very tragic nonetheless it turned out he was into some heavy

stuff like crack and smack I never knew that several months later I was hanging out with some character named Skyler I met him at work where I used to scoop ice cream we would smoke up and do other things he was a weirdo but then again I'm weird too he was okay by me one night me and Skyler decided to get wasted in the San Gabriel Mission Cemetery he started rolling up joints on a headstone I told him to have some respect for the dead and use some notebook paper at least I had some in

my backpack he did as I told him and a short time later we were smoking up after I took a few rips I felt someone or something watching me I turned to the left of me where the wall was and I saw someone sitting with their Back to the wall cross-legged and cross armed it was giri he was wearing his typical skater stuff a beanie some old school Vans black Dickies and a chichin Chong sweater he was just staring off into the cemetery I was completely freaked out and did a double take he was still

there I did a triple take and he was still there I was scared but more flabbergasted than fear it was just so Bizarre giri was like 15 ft away from us I had looked away and when I went through my thought processes he was gone the final time I looked I don't know why he appeared to me as no one has ever mentioned this happening to them maybe I was the cool older dude who bonded with him when others weren't listening I'm not sure I wish I kept his guitar that he sold me but it's

in good hands I had Shortly sold it to a neighbor friend who still plays it to this day 27 years later Alex the Punker but I still do have that t-shirt Gary gave me the Black Sabbath shirt with the Noose in the background giri I haven't forgotten you I know we weren't close but I will always appreciate you visiting me that day at the cemetery [Applause] this story took place during my Sophomore year of high school to preface I'm 20 years old now so this was about four or so years ago in late 2019 homecoming

season was rolling around and sophomore year of high school was when us kids really started turning to teens and throwing real parties the big thought on just about everyone's mind was who was going to take one for the team and have the homecoming after party as the night of the Dan was quickly approaching and There had still been no word about who was having a party my friends and I figured we would all just hang out after with our dates at one of our houses and get drunk and whatnot until the Friday at school the

day of homecoming I got invited to the party by one of my classmates who said his parents were going out of town for the weekend last minute and that he had the whole house to himself until Sunday I was excited and asked him if my Friends who all call Jack and Chris for the sake of the story could also come he said yes and I remember immediately spamming the group chat with the thrilling news that we had an actual plan for an after homecoming that seemed to be what the majority of our grade was also

doing the night came and the dance was fun I don't remember most of it because as soon as we got there the three of us along with our dates had snuck away from The multi-purpose room where the dance was being held into one of the nearby classrooms and got drunk from the shooters that We snuck in using the inside pockets of our jackets we left as soon as we were allowed to catching a ride from one of our parents I can't remember who the ride to this kid's house was a pretty far distance away from

the high school I had never been to this kid's house before and it was located in the section of the area that We lived that I never frequently visited as our school district was a huge Regional one that covered a very large area the house was nice but it sat on a main road in a very sketchy area so just keep that in mind the party was great I won't bore you with the details of it but I had a good time up until a group of us were getting ready to walk to a nearby

park to smoke now this was way before I had Habitually started smoking so I had a very low tolerance we walked about 2 minutes to this nearby Elementary School that had a playground the playground was extremely dark and I remember just feeling on edge even though I didn't really have a reason to I could just sense that walking to this dark school late at night in an unfamiliar area was just not the smartest idea there was probably about Five or six of us there I wasn't really that close with many of the people besides Jack

Chris had gone off with his dates somewhere and we hadn't seen them for a bit now the group of us smoking were sitting in one of those big slide climbing structures the ones that kids can like run around in and slide down different slides I don't know if that makes sense but the point I'm trying to make is that from where we were sitting we were out Of view from anyone in the parking lot and we had big structural walls surrounding us from both sides as we were smoking a car pulled up in the parking

lot weird but not immediately around flag As Time prolonged and we were passing the smoke around the circle left and right I began to really get messed up I completely forgot that the car was even there until another car had pulled up now I was starting to get a bit more Sketched out but I was still too messed up to walk back to the house and was not sure if making our presence known was safe so I remained where I was I remember whispering to Jack making a comment about it being peculiar as to why

two cars were hanging out in an elementary school parking lot at about 2: a.m. on a Friday night he made a comment back to me how whatever it was was going on it was probably not good we chuckled but in the Back of my crossed mind I knew it was probably best if we left the second car had probably been there for about 5 minutes or so and Jack and I figured it was probably time that we started to head back to the house to find Chris and figure out whose house we were going to

sleep at we began to say our goodbyes to the others when all of a sudden we all went silent when we began to hear an argument going on in the direction of the two Cars we couldn't really hear the dialogue as the doors to both cars were closed so it was muffled arguing then I heard a sound that I hadn't before a gunshot and then another one and then silence I didn't know what to do none of us did we all just sat still on that playground looking at each other in awe about 30 seconds

later one of the cars backside passenger doors opened and a person could be seen sprinting to the Other car getting in and speeding away so fast out of that parking lot the screeching of those tires probably could have been heard a mile away I know it wasn't the morally right situation but we ran all of us did we ran back to the party which at that point had gotten a significant amount more empty as we didn't realize how much time had gone by and how late into the night it was we found Chris his date

and the rest of ours and we got one of our Dates older brothers to give us all a ride back to Chris's house the sound of those shots played in in my head all night the event obviously made the news and it turned out to be a drug deal gone wrong apparently a guy owed way too much money to his dealer and the dealer just had had enough it's sad but what's even sadder is that type of stuff was like night and day in my area as we lived just outside a major city which did

have a lot of Crime I do feel guilty for running but in the end it's not not like there was anything we could have done for all I know if the guy with the weapon had been aware had six witnesses to his murder he probably would have shot all of us too as time goes on I think about this story less but I want the biggest piece of advice to be taken from this story which is said in about a million other scary stories online stay aware of your Surroundings if you have a feeling of

uneasiness even with how impaired I was that night that feeling is your gut instinct signaling danger and do not hesitate to listen to [Applause] it an acquaintance of mine who happened to have been a cop once told me this little tale he experienced several years ago back then he was a deputy and still new to the patrol scene since he was new to It he got called often to more simple tasks tasks that made the more experienced deputies jobs easier one night the deputy got a request on someone that took their own life the victim

was still inside the home and they needed the deputy to sit and guard the main entry to the home until the coroner got there to take the body they didn't want any relatives or anyone else to enter the scene and mess up evidence that was a standard procedure so the Deputy got to the home of the victim and confirmed with the cops already on the scene that he was there to wait for the coroner it was the middle of the night so the deputy grabbed his flip phone out of his patrol car and settled on

the front porch to play some snake on his phone all was totally quiet around him after everyone else left all the deputy could hear was the occasional sounds of distant barking dogs and the faint sounds of the sparse Highway traffic the silence did indeed make him a little nervous especially considering what lie only a few feet away and invisible to him only because of a wall so it was only natural that his instincts had his ears on high alert so he was startled when he suddenly thought he heard a rustling sound seemingly coming from inside

the house behind him all he could do was sit there and wait and listen intently a few minutes went by though And he didn't hear anything else so he just figured he probably heard the house settling or something over half an hour went by and the deputy was starting to get a little drowsy staring at snake on his small flip phone so we flipped it shut and sat back for a few minutes to relax but then suddenly there was that sound again which seemed louder that time a strange rustling sound like maybe rustling papers he

thought to himself Puzzled as he sat there and listened hard he heard it again and that time he was sure it was coming from inside the house behind him where the victim was at that point the deputy admits he was pretty scared he didn't want to call for backup until he was sure there was someone in the house but he also didn't want to go inside the dark creepy death scene by himself to investigate either so he stood up and waited once again for any noise while resting his hand on his Weapon on his belt

then the deputy drew his weapon as a loud sound from behind him caused him to spin around and face a large window by the front door covered by vertical hanging blinds as he turned around to face the window an explosion of movements Disturbed the blinds the deputy did admit to me in telling of this story that he did in fact jump and scream as almost anyone would the deputy's vision quickly cleared and he stared at the face on the other side of The window definitely not expecting to see what particular face stared back at him

the deputy screamed and went wide-eyed the face stared back at him and it made a startled sound with wide eyes as well then for a quiet moment man and Cat eyed each other before both turning away feeling stupid I guess the victim had a pet cat which ended up most likely going to a relative the deputy admitted to me after telling me this story that he felt that That was one of the most scariest things that's ever happened in his entire career [Applause] in my late 20s I moved from Germany to a small town in

Texas with a population of 177,000 the location was almost a 2-hour drive to the nearest bigger city as an avid lifelong animal lover I got involved with the local Humane Society and animal shelter there I learned to my horror That all of the wildlife in need of help was being euthanized because there was nobody who would take on the rescue missions fast forward a year and thanks to the gracious support of the boy and girl scouts I had a fully built rescue with enclosures cages and necessary facilities to obtain a Wildlife Rehabilitation permit from the

state after a thorough inspection I also received help and donations from the local population such As blankets animal food crates Etc during one of those visits I met Richard he was the typical redneck living way out in the country relying mainly on hunting and growing his food when in town he would drop off any extra food that he had left for my animals over the next few years he often came around to lend a helping hand cutting down trees repairing things and providing supplies he was a good friend and we would talk for hours about

Personal issues Richard was a rough guy and although he bragged and exaggerated he was always respectful and polite to me he never hit on me in any way he was just a good friend whom I knew I could call when I needed him and vice versa Richard was a single father living with his parents who helped him raise his son Rich after the mother ran off chasing a drug habit I met his son a few times and Watched him grow up when he was a teenager they often came by after attending a gun show shouldering

rifles and BR bragging about their weapon collection I felt very uncomfortable during those visits you don't see many weapons in Germany and ending up in Texas that was a huge part of my culture shock I still haven't gotten used to it after living in this country for more than 30 years one day Richard came by to drop off some bones for the dogs and we Got to talking at that time we had known each other for about 5 years that was when the creep Factor came into play he had consumed some shrooms and was weirdly

high he proceeded to tell me how he liked to go into the City and pick up prostitutes he got into a horrible rant that appalled me but he was so into the zone that he just kept on talking describing how he had taken two of them home on two different occasions to his trailer on his parents' property and put Them through terrible things too terrible to repeat he then described how he took the life of each one burned their bodies and Scattered The Remains for the animals after he left I was stunned after running it

by my husband we decided it was just one of his madeup stories there's no way that he really did that and we convinced ourselves of that we did confront him about it the next day when he was sober and he Laughed it off confirming that he just made it up after watching a scary movie while on shroom fast forward another 5 years he met a woman and started a relationship I met her Tammy a few times and took to her immediately she was warm outgoing sweet and caring they got married and we lost touch for

another year I assumed they were in their honeymoon phase and were just content with each other then one day he messaged Me telling me that Tammy was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer my heart broke for them so I messaged her asking how she was doing I was not prepared for what she told me next shortly after they got married Richard showed his true colors he began hurting her controlling her and eventually kept her confined to the trailer against her will she didn't dare call for help and try to flee because he promised to end

her if she did she Didn't doubt it for a second to top it all off she said that Richard refused to pay for her chemo and literally forbade her to go through with it she said she had decided to do it anyway and was going to go to the clinic the next day I promised her I would talk to Richard at the time and see what the problem was the following morning Richard messaged me stating that he had just found his wife dead in bed the cancer must have killed her he said there was No

autopsy she was cremated within 48 hours and that was that I don't think I have to describe what was going through my mind right I didn't want to believe that he had a hand in his wife's death but the red flags were undeniable yet I didn't see that there was anything I could have done call him on it and risk having him turn on me talk to the police about it after after she had been Cremated contact her parents and tell them what I suspected I didn't believe any of it would have made a difference

and maybe would have made it worse so I did nothing all I knew was that I did not want to be around him anymore thankfully he never tried to contact me after that and I certainly didn't reach out to him either fast forward to December 2021 a mutual friend messaged me with a Link to a news article aith County Sheriff's Office investigate death of Father and Son a man in his 50s reportedly upset that his father had cut him out of his will shot and killed his own son on December 14th then turned the weapon

on himself aith County Sheriff Matt coat said deputies were called to the scene at about 10:30 p.m. after the victim's grandfather discovered the bodies inside his Home and Patio Richard krini Jr had apparently Been play playing video games when his father walked into the room and shot him coats would not give an official statement about the murder suicide saying the case is still under investigation he said the killing had to do with money and The Grandfather's will autopsies on both men are pending my jaw dropped to my knees it felt like I was in a

movie I needed to find out more to be able to process this so I contacted Richard's X wife she didn't even know it yet we talked for hours about his abuse his grandiose narcissistic personality his murder stories how he had almost killed her and how she got out in the last minute my entire world fell apart how could I have been friends with such a person for over 20 years and not caught on to it it shook my ability to trust my fellow human being to the the core we Decided that she was going to

contact the sheriff and let him know about the prostitutes that he allegedly murdered and our suspicion about Tammy's passing Richard had told her about three murders one more than he told me unfortunately the sheriff Shrugged it all off there was no missing person's reports that would fit those alleged crimes during that time there's nothing that can be done or proven regarding his wife's death And there's definitely not enough public interest to pursue any of this further and that was the end of it all and I'm left with the big question of whether my friend of

over 20 years was a serial [Applause] [Applause] killer this is a story about my favorite puppy baby whom I will always dearly love baby was a present from my only brother there's just something very Special about baby anybody who's ever met him will tell you baby is quite intelligent for a dog and even seems to have a peculiar sense of humor he's one of those pets whom is only loyal to one person me of course baby tended not to like any of my boyfriends and is very protective finally though I met this guy who I'll

refer to as George that was able to make a connection with Baby whenever George would come over to visit he would bring A nice treat slowly over time they finally bonded and we all got along together quite well but baby was always my dog first and foremost George loved the outdoors and to go hiking at first we would go alone but eventually I was able to convince him to let baby come along baby absolutely loved the outdoors and would often run ahead of us to explore I never kept him on a leash he was so

well behaved George liked to play fetch with Baby as we walked through the woods I should mention that George would always carry a weapon whenever we went for a hike he had served overseas in the special forces and said you could never be careful enough George taught me how to shoot at a range for what he said was just in case eventually we started to do backpacking trips which culminated in a trip to a well-known Upstate mountain range this would be a 2-day trip to reach a beautiful view at the Mountaintop the first day the

trail was quite Steep and slowo we had gotten a slow start and as night began to fall we came across a small shelter on the side of the trail we decided to make Camp there as it seemed just perfect sometime not too long after we finished dinner there came the sound of another party making their way up the trail it turned out to be a group of three teenage boys and their dad rain Was just starting to fall and the father asked us if we could share the shelter with them they looked like locals ill

equipped for the trip and were lugging a huge cooler amongst them George pointed out the shelter was too small to hold everyone the father replied that they had no intent to turn turn back or go on we would just have to make do at this point George empathetically said no they were not welcome baby was laying beside me and started to growl again the father Argued stating the shelter was public and they had just as much a right to it George just shook his head all right fine the father finally said with a frown the

rain was coming down steady now they went over to the other side of the trail and set up a tarp to shelter under it turns out they had brought a small Grill and charcoal to cook their greasy Stakes baby intently watched their every move I should mention the boys were Quite big like their dad I could see them staring at us over the fire light as they chewed their meal in the rain eventually I had to go if you know what I mean George told me to go behind the shelter and be quick about it

I got out of my sleeping bag and put my boots back on baby followed beside me as I made my way around the shelter and squatted I heard a twig snap and looked out into the forest even though it was dark I could make out the shape of one of the Teenage boys watching me baby immediately let out a loud bark and shot out into the darkness as I pulled up my pants I could hear the father talking again he must have come back over to the shelter and was arguing with George I heard baby

barking as he chased after the teenager baby I called out but he didn't return there came the sound of a scuffle inside the shelter I came back around the shelter to see the father was Grappling with George one of the other boys had come across as well and menacingly flashed a knife at me he had this creepy smile which revealed a few missing teeth then there came a Stark scream from behind the shelter baby must have got a hold of the creep that had been watching me the boy holding the knife yelled Tom and ran

off into the woods the other teenage boy had come across the trail now and was holding a big stick he dove into the shelter and Immediately started hitting George one of the other boys had come back and started towards me and I sprayed him in the face with bare mace immediately he dropped to his knees screaming bloody murder I heard barking again as baby crashed through the foliage leaping into the shelter I should mention baby is a Rottweiler and was full grown his Jaws clamped down on the teenager's arm holding the stick I could literally

hear Bones snapping as he screamed and baby Twisted back and forth by now George had gotten on top of the father and Drew his weapon for the love of Jesus call off your dog he cried George got up watch watching him baby let go I said the boy was sobbing like a baby as he cradled his ruined arm get out of here now said George baby growled again bearing his teeth the other boy had returned standing silently beside the shelter baby started barking again as the four Of them ran away heading back down the mountain

side as fast as they could go we're going to have to leave George told told me I don't want those rednecks messing with the SUV quickly we packed up and started our way along the trail time passed quickly as we hiked in the darkness baby Leading The Way by the time we reached the trail head we could hear a vehicle revving as it peeled out of the parking lot George drove us to a motel where we spent the Rest of the evening baby laid out at the foot of the bed sleeping like a child it

would be sometime before we went hiking again but we never returned to that particular Mountain I'd like to preface this story by acknowledging that the truthfulness or reliability of Asylum or escaped mental patient stories tends to be questionable the the reason why I'm skeptical of those stories is that large Scale closures of asylums began in 1967 through the 1980s and were completely decommissioned by 2015 so I raise my eyebrow whenever someone talks about spooky Asylum stories that happened within the last two decades or so still I will be sharing my story as factually as my

memory allows and refrain from exaggerating any aspect I often visited my grandparents home in Traverse City in northern Michigan During the Summers with my parents Traverse City is a beautiful place produces 75% of the world's cherries and was home to the Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital which operated from 1885 to 1989 since the United States federal government officially deemed the hospital worthy of preservation for its historical significance the buildings on the hospital grounds were guarded by patrolling security Guards the Traverse City Psychiatric hospital was massive including 70 or 80 buildings of various sizes some buildings

have now been converted into restaurants gift shops tourism traps cafes Etc but many remain empty and abandoned underneath the hospital is a sprawling brick tunnel system which the hospital staff used to safely transport the patients from building to building in The Frigid winter Temperatures I'm sure there were instances where the patients underwent cruel treatments or were subjected to the care of horrible doctors but the Traverse City psych hospital had a great reputation many teenagers including myself at the time were unashamedly fascinated with the hospital and its history as a result we would often break into

abandoned buildings through unbarred windows or doors with pickable padlocks while there were a few cases Where teens would get caught and charged with breaking and entering as long as we were stealthy stuck to our safe entrances and paid attention to the guards Patrol patterns we could go in and out without worry I am not advocating for or trying to justify my criminal act of b& but breaking into the old hospital was almost a right of passage for the Traverse City teens the hospital's interior was terrifying there was old stained and broken equipment and Furniture crumbling

floors and walls vandalism strange old building noises and complete and utter darkness in the tunnels basement and lower floors using flashlights was too risky with the guards patrolling so we often navigated the hospital by memory and are dimly lit lit phone screens as you can imagine our frightened youthful imaginations ran wild with horror stories which is pretty ironic considering we made up most of Those stories unfortunately during my last trip inside I encountered something that terrified me to the point I swore off ever returning the story takes place around 10: p.m. the Moonlight was dim

and most Patrol guards left for the day clad in Black my friend Jason and I entered through the same window we always used and followed our regular path to one of the tall jutting spires to sit by the windows that overlooked the entire city There was only one thing different about this Venture from the others a new faint and unexplainable Smoky odor not Smoky like fire but something more akin to incense the smell was so faint we almost thought we were imagining it but it grew stronger as we got closer to our destination rather than

taking the stairs that led up to the Spire we followed the smell down to a different hallway until we reached a room with a deep red glow emanating from the Doorway rather than doing the smart thing by leaving immediately we couldn't resist the urge to walk closer and investigate when we finally reached the room I audibly gasped and and felt Jason grip my wrist so hard his nails left marks on my skin we found a large ring of red votive candles and burning incense circling a drawing of a pentagram with a Sigil of baffet in

the center of the drawing was a dead bloody bird surrounded by black Feathers bear in mind that I was raised devoutly Catholic so seeing this image filled me with a sense of fear stronger and more paralyzing than any ghost sighting ever could later on that night Jason told me I immediately started mumbling prayers but I personally don't remember doing that I wouldn't be too terribly surprised though while the duration felt infinite I'm not sure how long we stared at the occult scene before hearing a Man's low and ominous voice behind us saying welcome friends I

promise you that there was absolutely nothing friendly about the way that guy greeted us Jason and I screamed bloody murder whipped around and saw two nicely dressed but frazzled looking adult men smiling at us the man in front of me held something in his hand and while I can't say for sure what it was I remember thinking that it was a knife at the time which wouldn't be too Crazy of a a guess considering they recently sacrificed a bird or what looked like a real bird Jason and I sprinted past the two and I felt

someone's fingers grab the back of my shirt thankfully the occultist hand didn't have a solid hold on me because I ducked and managed to escape his grip the men shouted for us to stop running which we obviously didn't we heard their footsteps chasing after us for a little while while but thankfully Jason and I had broken into the hospital so many times that running through the unlit rooms hallways and tunnels was no challenge when we finally reached and vaulted through our Escape window the occultists were nowhere to be seen or heard we kept running through

the hospital grounds until we reached Jason's car with no concern for the patrol guards we would have rather gotten caught by the guards than the occultists I puked twice in the parking Lot whether the cause Was Fear sprinting non-stop for a mile and a half or a combination of both I'm not sure what would have happened if the occultists caught us but I know for sure they weren't going to crack open a beer and sing Kumbaya by the candlelight I'm not familiar with cultic practices or Satanic rituals so I'm not sure what the men were

trying to do or if they were summoning something Jason And I never returned to the hospital during that summer or any of the following Summers while we aren't close now that we're adults I know that horrifying experience will keep us cemented in each other's memories until we die [Applause] I'm from a small town in Northwest Wisconsin and to give you an idea of how small this town was we had a gas station And a bar the population was about 112 people I think at the time and it was mainly older folks I lived on the

outskirts of this town with my grandma and my two sisters we lived in a parsonage and if you don't know what that is it's basically a house that's close to a church that way the pastor could live there and stay close to it but this house was rented out by the church and my grandma was the one paying it it was A very nice house it was across the road from the church and when looking at it from the road we had a graveyard on the right side of the property it had four bedrooms one

bathroom a two-car garage and everything was on one level besides the basement now surrounding the left and backside of the house was thick Woods it was a mix of pine trees oak woods and very tall grass during the summer it was a very Beautiful spot and me and my sisters would play in The Forest all summer long now on to why I'm telling this story the other day I had a conversation with my Grandma she's getting up there in age and has started telling old stories from when me and my sisters were kids and this

one had me remember that I had this friend that would play in the forest with us they were tall and dark and they never came out from behind the trees I remember him being tall like Really tall like 7 ft up the tree is where his head would poke out from the only part I remember seeing was the deer skull that it wore on its face that would poke out every once in a while I don't feel fear when thinking about this creature I'm just going to call it that because it definitely was not human

I feel protected when I think of it me and my sisters always played hideand-seek with it and this creature actually made noise when we found it While playing or talking to it it sounded almost like a low cing sound this creature was so much fun to be around and made the forest light up it seemed like it did stink though man my youngest sister who would have been six at the time called it stinky because of this I remember seeing this creature climb the trees like no other it almost seemed like a shadow with how

silent it traveled through the woods one day after school my sisters And I got home and went to the woods and we saw a small Fort built out of sticks and whatnot and we assumed it was built from the creature and we played in it and made mud pies and whatnot but then we heard my grandmother screaming for us to come inside and in a panic since Grandma never did this we all quickly ran inside and once we asked her what was wrong she locked the door behind us and told us to duck down while

she tried calling the police and then she Whispered there was a man lying flat in the grass how did you not see him I was in shock and was wondering what the man wanted my younger sisters were crying at this point and me and my grandma tried to calm them down but nothing was working about 10 minutes later the local cop shows up and my grma explained what she saw the cop went around the property to see if the guy was still around but He didn't find anything then he informed my grandma that if he

shows up again called them ASAP and then he left my grandma didn't let us play outside for a few months and it really sucked because I was just coming into my pre teens so I was giving my grandma a hard time which is something I still feel really bad about later on that night once everyone was asleep I took a flashlight and headed to the forest as quickly as I could I know it was dumb of me to go out By myself and not tell anyone but 99-year-old me wanted to go check on my friend

once I got to the edge of the forest I panned the flashlight around trying to look for anything moving and once I thought I was in the clear I entered the woods and started walking towards the Stick Fort then I heard some grass moved to my back right which was deeper into the woods I stopped in my tracks and listened I thought it was a man from the Way it was breathing heavy and I was right I'm assuming it was the man my grandma saw a few months back I turned my flashlight in that direction

and yelled who's there and next thing I know this man jumps on me and starts choking me last thing I remember was waking up to a crunching noise and I could see a blurred black MK with my flashlight just barely lighting the edges of it I passed out again and woke up an hour or so later and I Assumed that due to it still being pitch black out once the adrenaline came back I started frantically padding all over my body checking myself for injuries and whatnot but all I could feel was slight discomfort in my

throat I stood up slowly and looked around to see if anything was around me I could see the porch light on the house peering through the trees and without a second thought I ran right for it when I got to the door I opened it and slammed It shut and locked it my grandma woke up and ran down the hall with the weapon I said Grandma it's just me she came around the corner and started asking me all these questions and I told her what had just happened we called my aunt who lived not too

far of the road to come and watch my sisters as we went to the ER that was about 35 minutes away once there the doctors took a look over me and said that I had bruises on my neck that I could not have inflicted Myself so they reported it to the police the next few days were a blur I wasn't able to sleep very much due to to the trauma from what my grandma told me the other day the police came out to the house and started a search in the woods they had two dogs

on the scene as well this is where it gets graphic the dogs found a bloody Trail they saw where the struggle between me and this man was in the tall grass and There was blood about 20 ft to the north of where this struggle was I wouldn't say a pool of blood but they said that the the blood trail went on for about 1 and 1/2 miles into the woods they called for more officers before heading in further but once they got to the end of it apparently they found the man he was ripped to

pieces his limbs were hanging up on the branches in the nearby Trees his eyes were missing my grandma kind of got sidetracked with the story but at the end of it all me and both of my sister went to different aunts and we stayed with them for about 3 months before we could go back apparently my grandma went to stay with her sister while our house got put under investigation we heard no news about it nothing was said about the man who was spread around all over the Trees the cops say it was a bear

but the more I think on it it had to have been my Forest friend I never treated the woods or night time the same I have become obsessed with the wendigo due to it having similar features of the creature that I remember I got a tattoo of one not too long ago but the trauma is a lot I can't handle being in the dark I definitely can't go camping or anything like that this whole experience made me into the Home body I still am today we moved out of the house when I was 14 due

to the new pastor wanting to move in and I have never been back inside I did go and drive by it the other day when my grandma told me the story and so much has changed a lot of the trees were cut down in the yard the little garden fence we had was gone but the woods and the tall grass of Course are still there I only wonder if he's still hiding in there [Applause] a couple of weeks ago I noticed a smell around mine and my neighbor's property I had noticed their dog had been

gone for a while so I thought the dog had died and thought nothing of it really a few more days go by the smell is getting worse and worse on the day I found him I was outside chopping up tree branches From the past few storms while my wife and son were playing in the backyard the smell at this point had gotten so strong my whole backyard smelled you could even smell it when you got in the car in our driveway my 2-year-old son was even making faces of disgust a friend of mine comes over

and started looking for where the smell was coming from he follows it to my neighbor's yard but the smell is so Strong he almost throws up up doesn't see anything and just gives up his search my wife at this point is debating on calling the police I tell her to hold off because what if it's just their dog I tell her I'm going to hop the fence to see if I can come across it I was going to go offer to bury it for my neighbors as they are elderly and maybe they just couldn't take

care of it properly so I hopped the fence this isn't the first time I've Smelled death but this is the worst smell I have ever smelled I take one step and that's all I needed behind their shed was the corpse of a fully grown man slumped over gray skin gray eyes staring back at me he was wearing a red flannel shirt tucked into his blue jeans and work shoes flies coming out of his mouth his nose and his ears my guess is he had been there for about a week in a muggy Georgia Heat I

had a T-shirt over my face to protect me from the smell but being that close I did almost throw up I ran back to the fence jumped it quickly ran to my house and told my wife to call the police at first I didn't believe my eyes I told myself there's no way that I actually just found a body so while my wife made the call I went back out to the border of the property and shouted out for him but I got no Response about 45 minutes later an officer shows up and I explain

what I saw the officer seemed to not believe me I wouldn't either that is until he walks back there himself I follow along to show him but before I even get back to the fence I hear him say yeah that's a body and he calls it in two sheriff's cars three crime scene trucks an investigator with his car a coroner van all show up within the next 10 minutes I go and give my statement to the investigator and that was that I talked to my neighbors about everything as well they noticed the smell but assumed

it was a cat or something they also explained that they were on vacation for a week which is when the dog hopped the fence and ran away they had no idea who this person was or how they got there aside from the police I was the only one who saw the body up close the image is stuck in my head and Plagues my dreams I can't look in my backyard without thinking about him it's been a couple weeks now and we still smell him randomly sometimes I work with bleach for a living and even at

work I smell him the cops told me that he was a John Doe and an OD it's nice to know my neighbors aren't murderers but I don't know how to move on my wife and I are talking about moving early next year but I honestly Feel this is something that will stick with me for the rest of my [Applause] [Applause] days before diving into this story I would like to say that we are sensitive to the supernatural personally this so-called ability has been passed down to me for my mother who has or used to have

stronger abilities of her own but that's a different story Altogether so both of us have our own experiences with the supernatural from childhood until adulthood while we believe in the Supernatural we are logical people when we have strange encounter ERS we always break them down and consider all logical possibilities however there are strange Eerie moments where reason simply does not exist where previously ordinary surroundings are stripped of their everydayness and only intuition make Sense almost as if you could say the veil is thinning and an entrance to a hole is opened the story that I

will share is one of those experiences during the height of the pandemic my husband and I built our home in a sleepy Seaside town the land itself has a history and it was formerly used as a Farmland in mango Plantation many decades ago the land had been in my husband's family for a while and even Though the lot is huge not one family member has decided to use it until we came along the story goes that my husband's grandfather paid a hefty price for such land his relationship with his siblings apparently they fought over ownership

of the land and while my husband's grandfather successfully inherited it before he passed away it came with a lot of Heartache tears and lost relationships along the way his Purpose has always been to pass down the lot to his children and grandchildren for future use due to this my husband's relatives refus to sell their respective lots for profit believing that their grandfather's Soul would not be at rest knowing the land has been lost from the family while some relatives have decided to sell their shares today this was not the case only a few years back

the entire lot is quite sizable at about 4,000 sare M our lot Itself is not as Grand at about 400 sare m on top of it we built a modest duplex with a porch to build this house we had to have a few trees cut down to make way for the foundation and the walls in the Philippines we believe that creatures dwell in the trees like the Caper agta and dndi although we do not necessarily believe in the existence of these beings we still respect these superstitious beliefs as part of Philippine culture and tradition before

Cutting trees Filipinos have their rituals to ensure we do not unknowingly cut down a tree where a supernatural being is living before cutting down a tree a person strikes the trunk with an axe It is believed that if the axe sticks to the trunk you are allowed to cut down the tree as no creature dwells in it however if the axe falls to the ground or does not stick to the trunk a creature may be living inside it when It's the latter we bring offerings of food to the tree to respectfully ask permission from the

creature to let us cut its home down we hired an experienced contractor to do the job and he usually performs this on all construction projects that he manages this ritual is almost an unspoken rule among Filipinos and is a commonly accepted practice in Rural and modern areas people just go along with it as something that's part of the way That we do things here and regardless if you believe in it or not what's the harm in complying right some of this is driven by fear as there are instances when trees are cut down and construction

crew members die unexpectedly or a business's bad luck is attributed to the place being cursed or haunted from angering a spirit or entity anyway we had a couple of trees cut down some believed to be as old as my husband's Grandfather the construction of the house was completed and and we moved in only a few months after the house is situated near the center of the lot which means to get there you need to drive up a few meters on a makeshift gravel path connected to a back road this makeshift path is surrounded by dense

bushes grass and trees you make a sharp turn where your vision is clouded by tall trees and bushes and suddenly see a house in the distance we had the Electricity company make a connection for us as our area is quite remote and there are no light posts as its private property so when night falls it's eerily dark and quiet when people asked us where we lived we used to joke that to find our house you have to pass the gateway to Narnia when we had packages delivered delivery people usually got lost or simply refused to

enter the path when it was nighttime a few months into living in The house we had a few strange occurrences here and there which is to be expected when you're living in a rural area surrounded by more trees and Wildlife than people living near the sea in a tropical country means sweltering hot temperatures and high humidity levels it was one of those long dry spells where you're constantly drenched in sweat when this happens in the late afternoon my husband and I are in the living room with the windows open it was Quickly approaching dusk as

we went through our yoga practice our two cats were lounging on the furniture lazily watching us we were watching a YouTube video to guide us in our practice when the video ended I vividly recall saying I wanted to do another yoga video to which my husband reluctantly agreed he reasoned it was getting dark and we had to prepare supper plus the weather seemed unusually cool today which meant it got dark much Quicker I realized that was true after another sweltering hot day the wind seemed to pick up in the late afternoon as I looked for

another yoga video however the wind seemed to die down like how it goes quiet before the first drops of rain as we were sitting down on our yoga mats at dusk we saw a neat lightning bolt strike the sky the lightning was clear against the dark sky and was so bright it made me squint only a few seconds later we heard a loud loud Crashing sound the Thunder was so deafening that the house shook our window pan certainly Shook and it felt like the thunder and lightning hit alarmingly close to the house specifically near the

big tree by the window where we can sometimes feel a presence there watching us at night this was so sudden and so ear piercing in our quiet home in the middle of nowhere that we simply froze in place it really didn't help that when the Thunder struck the power suddenly went out we were enveloped in darkness my skin broke in Goosebumps for a moment I was gripped in fear unable to move or think of what to do next I could hear our two cats scrambling looking for hiding places in the dark my heart beat fast

in my chest as I blindly looked around the living room waiting for my eyes to adjust and my heart to steady itself I remember instinctively Scrambling near me trying to feel for my phone so I could turn on the flashlight just as my vision started to adjust and sharpen I noticed a black silhouette sitting right in front of me my husband had his yoga mat beside mine so that when we were facing each other sitting down before the power went out in a shaky voice I said into the darkness love he didn't answer the wind

howled it continued to howl passing through our Open windows and causing the air to permeate the space I could hear the rustling of trees and bushes outside I tried again with love love a yag BBA which means love love don't joke like this when my husband did not answer me I reached out to him with my right hand just as another flash of lightning struck near the window causing a temporary bright streak of light to flash through the living room in a split second the room Was illuminated by an eerie glow and as my eyes

adjusted again I saw in complete disbelief that there was no one in front of me at this very moment my hands gripped nothing but air the light came and went and again we were shrouded in darkness I took back my outstretched hand and was struck with paralyzing fear as another loud thunder shook the house at that moment I felt myself shrink like somehow the four corners of The house seemed impossibly huge and I was just a tiny thing on the ground my heart sunk into my stomach and I felt something else another presence in the

house but it was different this time not the usual feeling I had when I sensed another presence in in the woods or by that mysterious Tree near the window I felt like something had shifted when the energy from the thunder and lightning struck our home like a door had been opened and there were these Things these things I could not put a name to entered the space their magnitude and presence so profound that I was an insignificant living thing that was simply taking up their space I was hit with the type of primal fear that

causes you is shut down where all logic just leaves your body I had never in my life felt that kind of fear this was different somehow like my insides were screaming at me to run but my body refused to get in syn I was Running on intuition and my intuition told me to look for light any light source I forced my legs to move and was in the middle of standing up when a small beam of light hit the yoga mats it was my husband standing near our bedroom door holding a flashlight in his hand

we immediately ran to each other and then found our way to the electrical box to turn off the electricity to prevent damaging surges at this point the first few drops of rain started to Pour down before gaining traction we calmed ourselves and took out the emergency candles and lights that we had stored we found our two cats both of them with their their hairs on end shrinking into a corner just two chunky Poof Balls with wide terrified eyes the power eventually returned during the night and we never spoke of that event without verbally agreeing we

each always made sure to keep a light in each room on at night and stored backup Candles and emergency batteries in case of a sudden storm and power outage shook our home again the first time we let our thoughts from that experience manifest themselves into our reality was when we took a trip to the bustling City a few months later while we didn't plan on talking about it it just felt safe to do so away from the house like speaking about what happened where it happened would somehow welcome whatever mysterious entity or power was In

play that day into our reality from sheer belief alone understand that we weren't dying to talk about it it just never came up and we never thought to bring up the topic we were just sitting at a coffee shop somewhere calmly sipping our beverages when one of us I'm not sure who went hey remember that weird thing with the freak power outage and storm at home it was only then that I got my husband's side of the story from his Point of view after the first Thunder and the power went out he had stood up

blindly in the darkness when he stood up and started to Dash crashed to the shelf by the bedroom door where we kept an emergency flashlight he felt that some invisible force was stopping him he stopped in his tracks and felt something cold in his path something he could not see or reach out to he was paralyzed paralyzed with fear with the overwhelming looming feeling of anxiety And Dread that stemmed from the unexplainable he felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand up like cold air was suffocating the once humid room surrounding him with

the wind howling outside and flying through the rustling trees and bushes he could not hear me call out to him after the second Thunder and the temporary light from the lightning he saw in front of him the shelf and roughly where the flashlight stood as the room was again enveloped in Darkness he dashed forward roughly where the Shelf was and felt for the flashlight that's when he hurriedly turned it on on with shaky hands and instinctively turned around and shown the flashlight on the ground where I was the moment that the light made its way

through the thick Darkness we felt this immense relief wash over us it was such a powerful emotion that I simply could not fully put it into words this happened on February 8th 2021 since we moved to the city in November 2023 I have buried the experience in my memory try as I might to forget it a part of me is nonplused and amazed all the same amazed that I had experienced something new something so foreign to me a powerful primal fear that I never thought I had inside me had awakened and nothing in my past

experiences and experiences after that event had ever awoken that ancient feeling inside me The memory may just be a looming fog at the back of my mind but what I felt is something that brims to the surface now and then when my intuition tells me that something is not right it might surface when my intuition is trying to convey something but never quite as overwhelming as it was that day last week I woke up in the morning and settled in front of my desk to get a head start on work when my husband whose desk

is beside mine set out of Nowhere today is the anniversary I responded the anniversary of what feeling confused as I racked my brain for the answer had I forgotten an anniversary of something a birthday perhaps and my husband who is normally forgetful and bad with dates simply said of the power outage back home all the emotions I felt from that experience hit me with a powerful force and I swallowed the feeling of anxiety that wanted to resurface from my stomach To my throat and out from my mouth in the form of words I said that's

not something to make an annual event out of love this happened around 6 years ago when I was 15 we were living in a small town in the mountains of Northern California where my mom grew up and where her family still lives today my younger cousins I'll call them Drew and Robbie for the sake of their privacy were spending the day with us and my mom Decided to take us to see the nut job too in theaters Drew and I being several years older than Robbie weren't totally crazy about seeing a kids movie but the

buttered popcorn was enough to keep us happy the movie ended around dinner time and my mom offered to get fast food since we were already in town and my aunt was due to pick up my cousin an hour later Robbie asked to go to Burger King which wasn't my favorite the food was all right but I've always gotten an Uncomfortable vibe from that place the part of town where the restaurant was located was full of sketchy strip malls that bordered the freeway and it wasn't unusual to find all kinds of colorful characters walking the streets

late in the day also that particular Burger King the only one in our entire town seemed to be a magnet for strange activity I remember watching a drunken fist fight on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant one night when I was about 6 So after everyone else in the car reluctantly agreed to go to Burger King off we went when we arrived a few minutes later my mom was preparing to turn into the drive-thru when a man heading in our Direction crossed the sidewalk in front of the driveway looking back there wasn't anything about

this guy that seemed unusual or set off any alarm Bells he was average height but a little on the heavy side he had dark curly hair covered by a baseball Cap and was wearing a tight fitting white T-shirt and dark jeans or sweatpants naturally my mom stopped the car and waited for him to cross the street when he made it safely to the other side and my mom began to pull in the man suddenly stopped dead in his tracks as we made the sharp turn into the small parking lot this guy turned his whole body

around to face us and and kept his eyes fixed on my side of the car the most unnerving part about it the Part that I can still see so vividly in my mind was his eyes they were wide open unnaturally open I swear it looks like something from the torture scene and A Clockwork Orange look it up and you'll see what I mean I have never seen a person open their eyes so wide in my entire life and like watching a car wreck I couldn't manage to look away I couldn't tell if he was looking

at me or my cousins in the back seat but at that point I was too creeped out to Care luckily I wasn't the only one who noticed my mom didn't seem especially bothered and said something to the effect of relax dude I'm not going to run you over as we passed by him my cousin Drew on the other hand leaned over the back seat to catch another glimpse of the man did you see his eyes he asked Robbie also curious tried to turn around and stand up in his booster seat to see the man again

my mom seemed unbothered but Drew and I were so put off by this guy that we couldn't let it go the two of us turned around to look out the back window one more time and check if the man was still watching us sure enough he was still standing in the same spot and staring at our car with his enormous eyes I don't think he even blinked the whole time at this point my fight or flight mode was starting to kick in and I wanted nothing more than to get out of There but then the

man did something that sent my heart rocketing up into my throat he started walking toward us very slowly still staring dead at us I really think he made a beine for our car because the sidewalk on that side of the restaurant curved around behind a small real estate building that was hidden behind cypress trees and I remember seeing this guy very clearly coming straight for us I jerked my Mom's arm and started pointing frantically out the Back window mom that guy's following us my mom turned around in disbelief and I can only assume that seeing

the man and Drew's worried expression finally made her realize what was going on all right screw this my mother said as she took the car Park and followed the drive-thru around the back side of the building where the pickup windows were I felt myself begin to relax a bit and I was incredibly thankful to be leaving the creepy man in the dust or so I thought We turned the corner and to my absolute horror the old beat up blue pickup truck was stopped at the window in front of us the drive-through Lane wasn't wide enough

for two cars to pass through so we were forced to sit there and wait until until the truck either moved or the man suddenly reappeared from behind the blind Corner less than 20 ft away my mom flipped the door locks and unbuckled her seat belt then began digging around in her Purse I knew what she was looking for she and I had recently bought cans of pepper spray at my father's insistence in case of an emergency I began to dig around for mine but as luck would have it it wasn't there my family and I

were big hikers and at a minimum I knew we usually kept a pocket knife in the glove compartment I pulled open the drawer but it wasn't there it finally dawned on me that the only thing that could stop this man from getting to us if that was his Intention was a glass window now this wasn't my proudest moment but I kind of started having a freak out anyone who has ever felt truly scared or endangered knows the feeling of adrenaline rushing through their veins sometimes that fear gets the better of you and you can't stop

the emotions from spilling out as I looked between the blue truck still parked in front of us and the back window of the car I just remember saying Softly I'm so scared it wasn't panicked or tearful it was just like my mouth said the first thing my brain was thinking my mother whipped around and very angrily told me Lily stop it you're scaring Robbie I'll admit that looking back I was angry at her for saying that I know she wanted me to keep a cool head which is what you should do in situations like this

but it felt like she was telling me I wasn't allowed to feel Scared besides I wasn't the only one losing control of myself Drew reached over unbuckled Robby seat belt pulled him to his chest and held on to him tightly to protect him that should have have been more fear-inducing than what I said but Robbie actually seemed more Curious than scared I was glad that he was young enough to not know exactly what was happening all in all he handled it better than us teenagers it honestly felt like hours Just waiting for that stupid truck

in front of us to move I started getting really angry even though I knew it wasn't the driver's fault but it was a horrible time for the people inside the restaurant to be moving so slow just then my worst fear was realized the man appeared from around the side of the building I felt completely hopeless and I was expecting him to run over and start trying to break into the car at any second but that didn't happen that Was when I noticed he wasn't staring at us anymore he was just shuffling very slowly along the

sidewalk looking straight ahead as the four of us watched him go intense silence I started to feel confused why wasn't he staring at us anymore just minutes before he was giving us the most unsettling look I had ever seen on a human face and it looked like he was coming straight for us what Changed I was starting to think that I had gone crazy what if I was wrong after all what if the whole thing was just one big misunderstanding on my part but as the man climbed the hill to the right of the car

Drew suddenly said Aunt Janet he's talking to himself sure enough as I looked closer I could see the man's lips moving as he stared fixedly into the distance with the car windows closed I Couldn't hear what he was saying frankly I didn't care I just wanted to get out of there when the truck in front of us finally pulled forward my mom hit the gas and drove out of there as quickly as possible the four of us breathed a sigh of relief as we settled back into our seats and headed to a different restaurant across

town as you can imagine the weird encounter was the only thing we could talk about for the rest of the night when my aunt arrived to Pick up my cousins we told her the story I was surprised but also grateful that she wasn't upset instead she suggested that the guy was probably on something or had some type of mental disability her explanation seemed likely enough and after about a week I passed off the incident as just that just another unhinged tweaker ruining our once safe amicable small town I had mostly put the issue to the

back of my mind until a few weeks later when my mom Brought it up again one afternoon as we were talking in the living room she started telling me that she read an article online about about a woman and her family who were possibly followed by traffickers in Oakland I don't remember the whole story but to summarize the woman her husband and their infant daughter were leaving a football game in Oakland when a man started following them the woman noticed that the man was talking to himself and She saw that he was wearing an earpiece

as they got to the car her husband went to confront the man while she and her child got safely inside and locked the doors a car that had been idling nearby suddenly pulled up the man hopped inside and it tore away the article warned that human traffickers will sometimes select vulnerable targets like women going places with their children and communicate with a waiting vehicle Nearby through an earpiece once in position the men in the car will jump out and snatch the woman her child or both and they will likely never be seen again my mom

suggested that maybe the man was wearing an earpiece and by the way he was looking at us following the car and talking to himself he could have been talking to someone in a car waiting nearby after all he was wearing a Baseball cap and his hair covered his ears there was no way to tell if he was wearing one now I never heard of any instances of human trafficking in my my hometown so I brushed it off as a wild Theory but the mere suggestion was enough to keep the memory of the incident from leaving

my mind to this day I still have no idea what the man's true intentions were I only remember the gut-wrenching feeling I got to when he stared at us with those Unnaturally large eyes was the guy just another addict was he in fact secretly communicating with someone waiting nearby was he just angry because he thought we were going to to hit him with our car I just can't seem to explain it no matter how hard I try and I know that I'll never get an answer however if the man was truly following us I shudder

to think about what could have happened if we had stopped at the menu board or had gotten Out of the car and gone into the restaurant either way the incident has taught me to always be aware of my surroundings trust my instincts try to keep calm when I feel in danger and never go anywhere alone without my pocket knife and pepper spray there is a small town not far from me that has a nice little downtown area with a few blocks of shops and restaurants I love coming to this area on my own since it

has some different Kinds of boutiques and restaurants where I would shop grab some lunch or a drink by myself and just enjoy my own company the area does not seem sketchy to me but I always hear my Italian Grandma's voice in the back of my head saying you be careful walking alone she brings this up almost every time I see her and I don't dismiss it but I am cautious when I go places especially when I'm alone once I found out there was a little hole ho in the wall hair salon on Main Street I

made it a point to go there as my go-to hair place the salon was trendy with an antique Vibe it was a narrow old looking hallway with a section to the left of four to five hair stations and then further down was the register counter near a back door to a parking lot area my appointments was one of their last times available and the girls that worked in the salon seemed very new and took their time with every process I don't mind them being careful with what they were doing but they seemed to always have

to walk away for a period of time from the chair to go get something from the storage room which was down some stairs and that was a big meeting place to talk together while I was sitting in the salon I could hear a little commotion going on outside along the street like there was someone making a case to ask for money from people walking by there Was something unsettling about this since every now and then I I would hear a loud Yip or bark noise that seemed to be getting closer to the open door of

the salon to the main street I kept staring at the doorway and the window of the salon as I waited for my girl to come back the people that walked by seemed to have such puzzled horrified looks on their faces and almost broke their necks to turn back around to stare at something behind them Again which was out of sight I would hear the odd Yip noise every now and then but it seemed like it tapered off as the main street started to clear out I brought it to the stylist's attention when they returned by

asking what did they think was going on out there they seemed to brush it off with an uneasy giggle oh it's fine probably just Fredo with a giggle and a glance at her other co-workers I usually would not feel anxious but it was visibly getting Darker out and the main street was starting to clear out I had a walk back to my car a while later I was feeling good about ready to leave the salon I tipped my stylist and she told me she would meet me at the back register to pay for my service

I got up walked down a short hallway and quickly made a turn to run to the bathroom before I had to pay my bill and go home as I came out of the Nook from the restrooms I turned to my left to call out to my stylist that I was ready to check out but when I walked out into the hallway I was met with with someone dressed in raggedy brown and black clothes standing in the hallway where I had to leave through the person stopped in their tracks the person had a pungent urine smell

and not only were they raggedy but they were wearing something over their head that looked like a mask or a Headpiece the person standing in the hall was wearing a full-on botched taxidermy head and neck piece of a wolf or coyote with wild glass eyes and a snarling smiling mouth which looked like it was plastered onto some papier-mâché helmet which this person was wearing for God knows what reason we both stopped in our tracks when we saw each other but the man and the wolf head started to slowly inch towards me in the back door

I have no idea what this man's Intentions were but my heart sank when I saw him walk closer to me and the door my instincts kicked in and I just ran for the back door ran through the parking lot as fast as I could until I found a restaurant that was open I felt like I was in a dream or a video game everything was in slow motion I thought any second that the man would jump out and grab me but I just ran panic attacks are real I felt like I could faint for about

15 to 20 minutes After reaching the restaurant I requested an Uber back to my parked car and I noticed the hair salon didn't even call me to ask where I was to pay my bill I called and left a message saying I would mail them a check just an answering machine picked up I try not to let this experience deter me from coming back to this little town on my own my Italian Grandma's voice is louder in my head and it did take me a few months to come back but I Will never be around

alone in this town again after the Sun starts to go [Applause] down I began cleaning houses after I had my first son he was a year old and I decided I would like to have a job where I could not only get some good exercise but bring in a little extra cash to help my husband out my first job I got was for a family not too far from my house they had two younger daughters aged four and seven and they kept a pretty clean Home really nice family very good at communicating they were always

quick to let me know when and if they needed me to cancel or not I never had an issue with not knowing what I was going into whenever I showed up I always let myself in with the door code whether they were home or not and as soon as I would walk in I would get right to work now the wife of the homeowner was a very neat woman she really just hired me because she needed a little extra help due to a Demanding job but anytime I came the house was already pre- cleaned for

me meaning the dishes were done the kitchen was wiped down clothes were picked up she made sure her girls cleaned their room so it was easier for me to vacuum and dust the house was never in a state of disgustingness or uncleanliness well the other day I showed up at my usual time on my usual day letting myself into the house and it was the complete opposite sight from What I had been seeing for the past year and a half there were clothes strewn about everywhere I'm not just talking about in the bedrooms where you

would expect them but all over the living room all over the hallways there were toys all about and yes that's expected with kids but at the same time they were in the most bizarre places like by the dishwasher under the parents work desks there was also a big pile of toys on the top of the master bed two of the biggest Red flags I saw though were plates of food cut up food and tea in the kettle getting moldy on the counter there were fruit and house flies everywhere so clearly this food had been getting

moldy for a while but I figured maybe they had left in a hurry or something something I had a feeling that they might have been out of town because usually one or both were home for the most part when I came but what kind of made me confused was that both of their cars were in the Garage at the same time though they could have gotten an Uber or a ride from a friend if they were going somewhere so I brushed that off I began my cleaning scrubbing out the dishes which I have never had

to do before on this job getting rid of all the moldy food taking the trash out so it was out of the house vacuuming as many spiderwebs and flies as I could because they seemed to be everywhere I cleaned up all the clothes I put them in their respective rooms and Hampers if their hampers weren't already full but then I headed to one of their bathrooms and this is where I was even more in shock there were flies everywhere a majority of them were dead but some of them were still flying around the bathroom there

were dead flies dead fruit flies some mosquitoes as well I checked the window it wasn't even open there were no openings the bathroom was sealed the door had been closed when I got there so I went along with my cleaning feeling very unnerved at this point but figuring if I'm there I might as well just continue trying not to allow myself to think this was a crime scene or something my imagination will occasionally get ahead of me at times I proceeded to vacuum up all the fly carcasses I cleaned off all the counters the bathtub

the toilet the surrounding area and tried to vacuum up as much as I could usually at the end of all my Cleanings I would text the homeowner and let them know that I was done and he would follow that up with a thank you and would send my payment through venmo but when I was finished I felt really uncomfortable so I called him to ask if they were maybe out of town or if you know something happened God forbid and if there was anything I could do to help because clearly the state of their house

was not typical but nobody answered the phone I Called his wife but she didn't answer either so I just sent him a text message saying I'm all done see you in another 2 weeks I haven't gotten paid or gotten reply in 3 days which is not like them at all so I'm at this point now where I don't know what to do should I report this to the police should I ask them to give a welfare check or something because I'm so confused I really hope nothing bad happened to them When I was 15 I

stayed with my dad in Ohio for the summer at the time he was living in a finished basement apartment in the home of my much older sister his daughter from a previous marriage my sister Mel has a daughter close to my age named Caitlyn who was 14 at the time a week or two into my stay Caitlyn and I were left home to watch her younger sisters Dany and Jamie while Mel went into work her night shift at the bar my dad normally went out to the bar Himself for a few hours a night to

catch the game and hang out with his friends and this night was no different we spent a few hours watching TV with the younger girls after dinner and finally sent them up to bed around 10:00 Caitlyn and I were enjoying having the living room to ourselves and listening to the M&M CD that she had become pretty obsessed with over the last few weeks around 10:30 we were heating up something to eat when we heard a knock at the front door for some Context my sister lived a few miles outside of a really small rural town

a good 30 minutes from the city her house was located on the side of an old low traffic Highway where the homes had large spaces and small patches of woods in between still close enough together that you could see your neighbors but probably wouldn't cross paths with them the way you might in a regular Suburban neighborhood the road was dark with no street lights so any light outside came Exclusively from porch lights and nearby Windows this time of night Caitlyn looked at me clearly surprised to hear the door at all let alone this late at

night they didn't really know anyone nearby and everyone that lived there always used the back door that led into the driveway instead of the front that opened directly into the yard the knock came again a little harder and more insistent what if it was the cops or something I was the oldest So I straightened up a little saying I'll get it in the most confident voice I could manage Caitlyn followed me to the door trailing a little behind I hesitated for a moment before turning the deadbolt then cautiously turned the handle to open the big

wooden door wide enough to peer through the Gap and through the screen door on the other side hey I'm trying to get a hold of my friend to come pick me up but my phone died it's really hot out here could I Maybe trouble you for some water or something asked the boy standing on my sister's porch he was about 18 or 19 from the look of him he had a tall but slender build and Shaggy light blonde hair that hung into light blue eyes a little as he talked he was wearing a black T-shirt

and jeans and had clearly been sweating a bit from the July heat that still hung heavy long after the sun had gone down I paused glancing behind me at Caitlyn she nodded And headed back to the kitchen to grab a glass of water for the guy while I stayed at the door my anxiety about this guy was slowly fading but enough held out that I decided to stay in my current position instead of opening the door anymore so where are you coming from I asked making small talk as I listened to the sounds of Caitlyn

running the tap in the Next Room the boy jabbed a thumb behind him Down the highway leading to a town as he explained that way my friend is supposed to pick me up but I decided to just start walking that direction until he comes along I nodded feeling Caitlyn's presence come back behind me as she approached with a glass of water for the stranger she flipped the latch on the screen door and held the water out this time leaving the screen door unlatched as it slowly creaked closed behind her Retreating hand the boy took the

glass and gulped the water down quickly wiping his mouth off on his arm as he took the cup down from his mouth I noticed his face was covered in acne scars do you think I could use your phone he asked next offering a sheepish smile sure Caitlyn piped up before I could answer I'll go get it can I just come in the boy asked something nagged at me as I watched him Shuffle a few inches closer to the screen door and Start to pull it back instinctively I slid my right foot up next to the

bottom edge of the front door where I was still holding it partially closed I leaned back to allow the door to obscure my face from the boys as I looked at Katlin shaking my head as I whispered I don't think we should let him in she gave me an annoyed look as though not understanding why I took issue with allowing a teenage boy inside it was exciting and new and I was Clearly ruining the only interesting thing to happen to us so far I raised my eyebrows in a silent plea and she turned back to

the door to address the boy we can't let you in sorry she said genuinely meaning it why not are your parents home or something the boy asked he didn't sound like the thought made him nervous and The Itchy feeling that had begun to creep through my body grew more persistent Yeah my dad is downstairs I said a little too quickly I saw a spark hit his eyes as soon as the words left my mouth he recognized the anxiety in my voice and I watched the shift in his expression as he saw through my lie I'll

be quick he insisted I really need to get a hold of my friend to find out where he is he should have been here by now he went on giving the highway a cursory glance as though he was looking out for his friend's car I saw him Linger on the empty driveway as his eyes came back around to us but what if he misses you while you're inside I asked trying to keep my tone cheerful and conversational I wedged my foot a little harder into the door as I spoke seriously my dad will kill us

if we let you in a slow smile began to spread across his scarred face the boy took a slow step forward silently closing the gap between the screen door and the crack that I had Left open we were now only a few inches apart the threshold of the door the only thing left between us I slid my free arm behind the door gripping the opposite side of the door frame to brace myself against it I cursed myself for not sliding the chain lock across the door before opening it if I did it now it might

upset him I thought he stared me down for a second the smile never leaving his face he turned to Caitlyn softening his tone as he said please I'll be super quick the sound of a door opening behind Caitlyn and I made us both jump my dad came through the back door with a puff of his last bit of cigarette smoke trailing in behind him what are you girls doing he asked gruffly I snapped my head back to the boy at the door door with wide eyes it's my dad I whispered hang on a second I

took advantage of his surprise to Quickly shut the door in his face dad there's a guy at the door he wants to come in and use the phone I told him he's a teenager Grandpa like our age I think I know him from school Caitlyn added my dad's expression darkened as he walked to the door and opened it halfway to confront the boy what seems to be the problem my dad asked the stranger I saw the boy shift uncomfortably as he told my dad the Situation about his friend picking him up well you better get

out there so he doesn't miss you my dad replied they were just giving me water man relax the boy challenged it's hot out here you know I'm going to give you 5 Seconds to get off my porch before I call the cops my dad growled a sudden anger apparent in his voice as he snatched the water glass back from the boy at the door Caitlyn and I looked at each other confused he sounded really Mad all of a sudden we both began to get nervous thinking we'd be in trouble for opening the door I watched

through a gap between my dad's body and the door frame as the boy composed himself gave him a menacing smile and slowly backed off the porch disappearing as he walked back out into the dark yard toward the road without another word my dad slammed the door shut and chain locked it whirling around to face us what is the matter with you two why Would you open the door to a stranger like that when no one's home how stupid can you be he yelled angrily Grandpa what's the big deal I told you I know him from

school why would you yell at him like that cin whined my dad sighed and sat down at the table he looked back and forth between us as he gathered himself calming his voice back down to a normal level while he shakily explained girls he Began I'd be willing to bet you money that there was never any friend coming to get that guy there's a place a ways down the road where bad people go it's like a mental health place but for criminals he was probably from there why would you assume that Caitlyn asked clearly upset

at the insinuation I told you I know him from school maybe you do my dad replied but there was something off about that kid he softened his voice as he went on Didn't you notice he wasn't wearing any [Music] shoes he had Hospital socks on this event happened in early 2022 my boyfriend and I had gone out of town for a weekend to attend a Comic-Con about 5 hours away I was very excited as I was planning on attending my first meet and greet as well as just being out of town and just exploring a

city that we've never been to before the excitement however would soon turn Sour after the 5-Hour drive and a bit of exploring we were dead tired we thought it best to go and check into our hotel we had a lot of things to carry in as we didn't want to leave our purchases in the car to tempt a thief so we had to take two trips from the car to our room once we got checked in and was given the room number and key we started on the journey to find our room we ended up

being assigned to a room at the other side of the building walking down the Hall to drop the first load of things off in our room we passed a room very close to ours that smelled horrible we had looked at each other with disgusted looks on our faces it nearly smelled like something had died but we thought nothing more of it until we went into our room dropped our things off and came back out to go back outside again this room was fairly close to ours only about four doors down so we didn't have to

go very far before we started to hear Screaming the voice sounded young like a kid at first we thought it was just maybe an unruly kid through throwing a fit but then we began to understand the words being shrieked get away from me okay this amped up the worry scale quite a bit it could still be a kid throwing a fit right then the blood curdling scream the terrible awful scream that still sends chills through my body to this day the Scream that stopped both of us in our tracks right outside of their door we

looked at each other Terror gripping us after hearing so many horror stories about trafficking I automatically thought the worst at that moment we didn't quite know what to do knock on the door and risk getting hurt call the police or just alert the front desk my boyfriend automatically cut down the first idea there was no way he would put me in Danger like that or let me put myself in that scenario we had also left our phones in our room stupid move I know but we were just going to the car and coming right back

so we were stuck with the third option alerting the front desk now normally I have bad anxiety and can barely talk to strangers but I went straight to the front desk manager while my boyfriend got the rest of our things from the car I let her know everything we noticed Everything we heard and how concerned we were she asked what room number this was when I told told her the number she seemed to hesitate I could tell she was about to say something that was going to further my unease I was right she told me

that it was the same people that had been staying there for quite a while almost a month they claimed it was because their house was being repaired or something to that effect but there were obviously Doubts about this she also said that no housekeeping had been in there to clean because they were always in there and had the do not disturb sign up not wanting anyone to go inside what's more disturbing is that I was not the only one to come to the hotel staff with complaints and concerns about these patrons there had been complaints

about the smells coming from the room as well as what other patrons had described as children throwing fits Or being unruly now she was having second thoughts on these reports at this point my boyfriend had re-entered the lobby with the rest of our things and was eager to get back to our room I went with him but not before asking the manager what we should do she could not give me an answer but promised that she would do a welfare check on the room I was in no way comforted by this and when we got

back to our respective Room I began to cry with overwhelming dread that child could just be throwing a tantrum of course but what if it was much worse than that what what if the child was actually being hurt and I wasn't doing anything to help them my boyfriend saw that this was bothering me and suggested that we go ahead and call the police if it would make me feel better I was torn I wanted to but I didn't know if I had the right to do that as I was not on my own property Leave

it to me the resident overthinker to think of Hotel policies at a time like that as I was debating with myself we suddenly heard sir coming down the road and they seemed to stop right in front of the hotel we waited for a time thinking that they had just passed the hotel before my boyfriend went to the lobby to ask about calling the police while he was gone I rang my mom and told her what was going on I didn't Want to be alone and I knew that she would calm me down after a few

minutes of talking with her my boyfriend came back to the room an astonished look on his face I put the phone down but kept the call going so my mom could hear what was going on he explained that as soon as he asked the front desk manager about calling the police she informed him that the cops had indeed stopped at the hotel concerning the very same Room I reckoned that my concern led her to call the police herself they went to the room and knocked on the door announcing themselves and requesting to be let in

that's when the mother of the two children yes there was another child mixed up in this mess an infant to top it all off tried to make a break for it and evade capture completely abandoning the kids they immediately caught and arrested her along with her partner they also took the children somewhere safe And out of Harm's Way how all of this happened without us hearing a peep I will never know all I knew in that moment was sweet relief knowing that the children were safe it turns out that the town we were in was

inundated with child trafficking cases at the time unbeknownst to us we were just there for a ComicCon who would have guessed we would also influence a trafficking bus as well in America every 40 seconds a child Goes missing or has been abducted the FBI's National Crime information center the NCC reports that around 400,000 children go missing each year and on the International Center for unidentified and missing persons do Network you can scroll through their missing people index millions of people have never been found and millions more bodies remain unidentified there is one missing girl that

people are still searching for Today her case is still unsolved and but for a few strange coincidences she is likely to have been forgotten along with so many others however with this case it seems that the young girl might have been trying to escape and could even have been freed if her plead had been recognized for what they were this is the story of anet's kodo and what happened to her anthonette Christine cedo was born Christmas Day in 1976 to Penny cedo and Anthony Montoya in Gallup New Mexico anet's parents got divorced when she was

still a child and she along with two sisters senida and Wendy went to live with their mother Penny anthonette was described by those who knew her as being very smart studious and that she acted older than her age she was said to have a Caring Heart and wanted to help others who may need help including caring for her two younger Sisters anthonette was a Charming child with brown hair and brown eyes and the nickname squirrel however the settled family life she and her sisters enjoyed was suddenly shattered on the evening of April 5th 1986 that

night a babysitter had been hired to look after her girls while their mom went with her friends to a bar and anet's mother returned around midnight and sent the babysitter home Penny then sent two of the girls to bed But chose to stay up herself chatting with her oldest daughter until 3:00 a.m. then the codo family went to bed for the night at 7:00 a.m. the following morning Penny went to wake the girls up to get ready to attend Bible school but something was wrong anthonette was not in her bed Penny searched the entire house

and could not find anthonette Penny started to head outside to see if her daughter was out or at a neighbor's House she noticed something strange however Penny noticed the front door was not locked and the screen door was also unlocked the door to the kedo home had a screen door that had to be opened if someone wanted to knock on the front door Penny was a bit confused because she knew she locked both doors that night night but headed outside to search for her missing girl the whole neighborhood then joined the search for anthonette but

she was just Gone this was when Penny called the police to report her missing daughter unfortunately the police said that she hadn't been missing long enough to Warrant a police report and Penny needed to wait long enough to confirm that she was truly missing senida mentioned that someone knocked on their door and anthonette had gone to to see who it was that was the last she knew of anet's whereabouts the police considered the Case an abduction and called the FBI to help them search anet's mom was given two polygraph tests and is reported to have

failed the second test taken by the FBI statistically children are often abducted by someone they know and trust yet after questioning the whole family none knew any information that would help find anthonette a neighbor told police she saw a brown truck outside their home Around 6:30 a.m. but it was typical for many people to come out of the kido's home and they didn't think anything of it with no evidence to go on and despite the best efforts of law enforcement and the neighbors the case went cold that was until one year after she went missing

a call came through to 911 the 911 operator heard a young girl's voice on the phone which said I am anthonette cedido and I'm in Albuquerque the 911 operator asked where She was in Albuquerque but the voice never got to answer a man was heard in the background asking who said you could use the phone and terrified screaming was heard before the line abruptly disconnected the 40sec long call was too short for police to trace it it but Penny insisted it was her daughter's voice because she said she could recognize the screams and how she

pronounced her last name however the Girl on the phone said she was an Albuquerque but she couldn't have been if she had dialed 911 in Albuquerque she would have been connected to the 911 operator in Albuquerque not the operator in Gallup was it a hoax or was it a clue did anthonette believe she was in Albuquerque when in reality she had been nearby this whole time again the case went cold until 1991 6 years after anthonette had gone Missing then in Carson City Nevada an unkempt couple and a teenage girl stopped to eat at a

restaurant the waitress said that the girl kept pushing her fork off the table when the waitress was near and would squeeze the waitress's hand every time she put the fork back the waitress found a napkin under the girl's plate with help me and call police written on it but by the time the napkin was found the girl was gone when The waitress was questioned she noted that the girl resembled anthonette could this be the second time anthonette had tried to escape her captors terrifyingly they would have held her against her will for years by this

point and after this last contact she was never heard from again however the clues were mounting 5 years after anet's went missing her sister Wendy said she knew something about the night her sister was Taken Wendy now 10 years old told police there was a knock on the door and anthonette followed by Wendy went to the door to see who was there Wendy said that anthonette asked who's there and that she heard someone outside say Uncle Joe she saw anthonette open the door only to be snatched by two men she told police that anthonette was

carried into a brown van with the girl kicking and screaming it had been a brown van that The neighbor had seen outside the house on the night of the kidnapping when asked why she went back to bed after that and did not tell the police at the beginning Wendy told the officers that she was scared and that she would get in trouble if she said anything Wendy thought that the police or her mom would not believe her because she was a little kid the girls did have an uncle named Joe who was questioned but he

had an alibi and a witness who Was with him the whole night it was certain that he did not take anthonette anthonette wouldn't have opened the door or answered unless it was someone she knew or thought she knew the abductors may have known enough about the family to know that there was a real Uncle Joe aside from the two strange attempts to make contact there was nothing to go on in the years since anet's disappearance however there have been Many theories as to what happened to her one such theory is that a member of her

own family abducted anthonette her mother and sister said that she would never open the door unless it was someone she trusted all family members were questioned but were ruled out by the police and the FBI it is also possible that Penny knew more about that night than she said the failed polygraph is always mentioned the Police and people familiar with the case strongly believe that Penny knew what happened to her daughter Penny K adido died in 1999 however and whatever she knew was taken with her to the Grave perhaps Wendy lied when she was 10

years old many web sleuths believe that if Wendy saw her sister get kidnapped she would not have gone back to bed a 5-year-old child would have said something not hide it if anthonette were Carried from the house screaming and fighting her sisters or at least her mother would have woken up the police based their investigation on what Wendy said after she came forward it is also possible that a stranger abducted anthonette plucking her out of the night Joe is a common name and when a child asks who is there saying Uncle would make her open

the door people believe the kidnappers made up a name on the spot not knowing the girls had and Uncle Joe the chance that a kidnapper would use a name that anthonette recognized is unlikely finally there is the theory that anthonette was taken because someone in the kodo family was in the drug trade it was believed that she was either killed as a threat to the family or she was sold to someone who bought the girl for trafficking however there was no proof that anyone in the kedo family was Involved in the drug trade anet's story

is known by millions thanks to her story being featured in an episode of the show Unsolved Mysteries in 1992 the FBI has however closed her case because she was likely dead the Gallup police department has left the case open and active but investigators must be left to Ru what could have happened if those two strange attempts to contact authorities had been acted Upon back in 2011 one of my cousins from Guatemala had a horrific car accident doctors told her parents to prepare for a funeral but be it a miracle or my cousin's fighting Spirit she

lived elated I booked a flight to visit her my uncle lives in this private Community he purchased two pieces of land and built houses during that time the housing development in that area wasn't prominent so neighbors were spread out about 60 5 yard behind his main house There's a forested area that is untouched one evening my family and I were jumping from topic to topic having a great time now that my cousin was back home I'm not sure who brought it up but we started discussing about the Paranormal during that time I was always skeptical

about ghosts Spirits Etc Meanwhile my family was the opposite they started to talk about their experiences throughout the year years more recently they believed they were Seeing my grandpa who had passed away they would see Shadows peeking around corners one day my uncle looked towards the staircase and saw a shadow outlining what looked to be a man with a hat my grandfather always wore his hats even if he was at home one of the nights I slept in my cousin's room I heard what sounded like a dog walking around the room I brought it up

in the morning and apparently that's something that has happened to my cousin as well my uncle's Other house was also pretty active with unexplained things for example his back door was banging so aggressively it broke the glass mind you he has walls that are about 12 ft tall with barbed wire there was no one there continuing from our conversations that same evening my uncle took me for a stroll around the neighborhood he would point at different houses and tell me what that particular neighbor's paranormal experiences were apparently the land they lived on was Active with

the Paranormal the sun had already set and the only light source we had were from sporadic light posts which was sufficient enough to see as we were nearing back to his main house something caught my attention about 55 yards behind his house is another neighbor they had two dogs that were barking from the rooftop and yes you heard that right it's common in Guatemala to have dogs on their flat rooftops anyway there was someone or Something in front of their house next to a light post normally it wouldn't be a big deal dogs barking at

someone or noise it's in their nature but there was something off at first glance I thought it was possibly an older lady because it seemed like her back was rounded and she was wearing what looked almost like a cloak it's uncommon to see an older woman by herself in the evenings so I pointed it out to my uncle he glanced over and Instantly got goosebumps and told me that's not a person that's a spirit and with that he went inside his house curious and still being a skeptic I lingered outside studying this person or thing

or whatever it was even though it was right next to the light post I could not make out any details it was just this bulky black entity then it started to move very slightly to its left it wasn't one swift motion almost like Gliding then it started to turn almost translucent I rubbed my eyes thinking maybe I stared for too long and was causing irritation I focused my gaze back at this thing and it was still trans ucent it started moving again in that slow gliding Rhythm suddenly this thing turned back into a solid black

shape and took quick long abnormal strides towards the forest with that I immediately went Inside the house and told my family what I had seen I've always been more logical and analytical to anything considered paranormal I guess it's an easier approach as accepting something that can't be explained is terrifying to me but I just can't say exactly what this was because I've never seen anything like it I have heard many stories about Skin Walkers and kind of juggled with that idea the weird thing is that I almost feel attached to whatever I Saw I don't

want to sound crazy but it's like I can always feel it at a distance it's strange to describe but it feels like its energy still lingers around on me I have had many more strange encounters that probably deserve their own separate stories this is the first time I have posted a story anywhere finally after more than a decade later I'm open to getting input on what I saw that evening to hopefully put my mind at ease [Applause] I was 19 or 20 when we finally found a place to rent in the same neighborhood as my

family at the time I was 6 months pregnant with my son getting situated in the house and the start of a new era for some imagery the house was a one-story three-bedroom house with a den that later became my aunt's bedroom the living room was very open and connected to a kitchen with a sliding glass door That complimented the backyard amazingly we had a nice patch of grass surrounded in rocks compared to Hawaii the house was actually very nice for the price we had gotten it at given the cost of living is significantly lower than

it is in Hawai my mother let me stay in the master bedroom with its own bathroom which was convenient for me since I constantly needed to pee every 10 seconds when you open my bedroom door it Led straight down a hallway that led to the laundry room staring down the hall always gave me an eerie feeling like someone could be in the room at the end of the hall just looking back at me and I would never know when my son was around 3 months old I started experiencing weird things at first it was my

door randomly slamming on its own which inevitably ended up being just the AC turning on and off then it was the creaky noises that could Faintly sound like footsteps coming from the attic I told myself it was just a creaky house making a racket nothing to worry about right but things started to get creepier for a few nights I began having these Vivid nightmares that would creep me out but I would ultimately forget about them later on in the day as I needed to tend to my child and tyy my room Constantly then came the

sleep paralysis that would occur two times in the same month the first time I experienced it in that house it was your standard sleep paralysis not being able to move and just listen and be in my thoughts looking around the room waiting for it to end the second time was much more Sinister and it shook me to my core it's not uncommon to have Hallucinations when under paralysis but what I saw shook me up for years to come I was laying there in my room my LED light was on red since it's the darkest color

to have on that emits enough light for me to get out of bed and make my way around the room without hurting myself or accidentally tripping over anything especially if my baby wakes up in the middle of the night and I need to tend to him looking around the red lit room I was put on edge and felt a deep Eerie Sensation that I wasn't alone and something was watching me I looked over to the right side of the room where my bathroom door was not being able to turn my head but just look with

my eyes my bed was right beside that bedroom door 3 to 4 ft from the side of my bed and what I saw sent a chill down my spine the bathroom door was open a jar with something standing in front of it it was very tall wide shoulders and a Slim body its pale face and deep black eyes that stared right into mine it was wearing some kind of collar jacket or hood of some sort in all black rugged and ripped in complete and utter disbelief I tried to close my eyes and open them again

but I couldn't take my eyes away there it was so close to me just staring I could hear the faint sounds to my cousin Tate playing some kind of video game in the living room talking Into his headset which made the situation feel so real the figure started to push the door more open into the bathroom its hands slowly moving revealing the long pointed fingernails as if it was getting ready to make a move and come towards me but then I snapped out of it and woke up jumping up from my position I stared at

the bathroom until I got the courage to make my way over to it and turned the lights on Nothing after that I kept my bathroom door shut every night before I slept I kept it to myself since I just didn't see the point of talking about it I shook it off and tried to rationalize it as my mind just making things up after that I began to experience a few unusual things one night I was taking a shower and started to hear Whispers faint chatter of many different voices none of which I could recognize or

understand What was being said it sounded as if I was standing in a crowded room and everyone was talking all at once in a low volume I called out to my mom and brother thinking maybe they came into my room and were conversing with each other the voices stopped abruptly and no answer back I thought to myself well that was strange and continued to shower slowly the voices came back and grew louder and Louder and louder until something whispered Safari right into my ear I turned off the water and jumped out of the shower running

into my bedroom with water dripping down onto the carpet my room was empty all I could do was stand there Frozen and stare at the bathroom once again after I got dressed and made my way around the house to find it practically empty only my brother was there and I asked if He had called out to me or was on the phone puzzled he shook his head no and asked why I responded that I must have been hearing things a few days later my cousin and I decided to have a few drinks and hang out

in my room sharing old stories about our childhood my cousin began telling me the story of the time that we all lived in a haunted house in Virginia at the time time I was too young and wanted to be told all the Details of things that happened but I can save that story for another day then I remembered when I had sleep paralysis and began to tell my cousin about my experience but before I could describe what I saw my cousin cut me off and asked did it have a white face I looked at my

cousin in shock and asked him how did you know that to which he casually replied because I see it all the time where in the backyard he replied Why do you think I stopped smoking outside and moved to the garage he joked I asked him to describe to me what it looked like and he said that it wore some kind of black dress as he put it I asked him if it had a hood or collar of some sort and he thought to himself and shook his head yes it was strange that we had both

seen something similar I couldn't really make sense of it intoxicated and quite interested I started to believe that maybe we were Both seeing the exact same thing something was in our backyard this next part is quite interesting and I still think about it from time to time at some point my mom came up to me and asked me how I felt about this new house I told her I liked it and how open and spacious it was since we had so many things that we own and didn't have a place to put it in previous

homes we lived in then she Crossed her arms and moved closer to me and asked have you experienced anything strange alarmed and relieved I started to explain to her what I had told Tate weeks before when I began to described what I saw my mother's eyes widened in complete fear as she put her hands over her mouth and muttered shut up she told me that the night before my brother had sleep paralysis and saw the exact same thing Standing at the foot of his bed watching him sleep as we talked amongst ourselves I guess my

uncle heard what we were talking about and came out of his room to tell us that he had also had sleep paralysis and had seen something flying around his room in a black gas ordering him to leave it is clear that nobody had told anyone about their experiences and yet we were all seeing the same thing it is Also strange that everyone had experienced some kind of sleep paralysis the last experience I had was when my son turned 6 months old and began walking around he would stare at various walls in our home and would

Giggle and walk around as if something were there talking to him he would Babble back at the walls and sometimes stare down the same hallway that gave me chills and point to Something at the end of it we have now moved out of this house and haven't experienced much since then I hope that whoever moved in doesn't experience the things we have I know Arizona is known for sightings of Skin Walkers in the deserted areas in which we live in but I hope I never see anything like that again if anyone can justify these experiences

please let me know I would love to hear what you may [Applause] Think at the time of this incident I was 29 and my daughter was three I was in my bathroom bathing her and kept hearing a sound that seemed to be coming from the direction of my bedroom window I wasn't concerned with this sound at first because I live in an apartment complex on the ground level and people especially kids walk by the window in the mulch all the time so I continued to bathe my daughter when the sound moved from my bedroom window

to my Daughters now I noticed the sound shift and so did my small dog she's typically the quiet type as she's 12 years old the sound was almost as if there was someone tapping a metal object against the glass alert at this point my dog lets out this earpiercing bark one I have never heard from her before feeling on guard now I removed my daughter from the tub and wrapped her in her towel and told her to stay in the bathroom as I proceeded to the kitchen and grabbed a knife fight or Fly at this

point is kicking in as my dog recedes from the direction of my daughter's room I approach it entering the doorway I begin Hearing in a sing song low guttery voice I'm here to play with a very pretty lady a lady that I know a lady that I see a lady that I often see in my dream absolutely beside myself at this point and my fight ORF flight senses always in fight mode I reached the window and Drew open the curtains as the Voice kept singing the song and the tapping sound kept repeating on the window

I snatched the blind string and opened the blinds quickly just to come face to face with an old man bearing a long and dirty beard with eyes that sunk into his head and dark as the night was he looked at me and grinned a grin that I can can only describe as the one the Grinch wore when he devised his plan stuck in a shocked Panic for what seemed like an eternity but was probably No more than a second or two I began to spring into action I turned jetted into the bathroom and grabbed my

daughter and my cell phone I ran to my front door still holding the knife just in case the man happened to run towards my door I was dialing the police and on the phone with a dispatcher as I ran out of my door and to my neighbor's house I proceeded to bang on her door with as much force as possible to get her attention I wanted my child safe at Least she flung open her door upset of course until she saw the terror on my face as I handed her my daughter and began to force

myself into her apartment the old man came running around the corner and into the Breezeway lunging straight for me with a knife of his own I managed to get my neighbor her three kids and my my daughter into the door as this Maniac arrived within arms length of me slamming the door I told her to take the kids and get into the bathroom Because that's the only room in the apartment that the door locks and that there's no window the old man was now banging and kicking her door as well as dragging The Knife Down

it I stayed at the door to ensure that he did not make his way inside and as I'm sitting on the floor my feet pushed up against the coat closet base and my back firmly against the door I heard a booming voice drop your weapon and get on the ground Now I sat listening as the sounds of a tussle came from the Breezeway then boom boom boom you can open the door ma'am it's the police relieved I eased open the door in time enough to see the one officer exiting the Breezeway with the man and

another asking me if I was okay and if I could answer a few questions I spent about 15 minutes explaining the situation to him as he jotted down the notes on his Pad the Other officer then approached us with two window screens as the old man had taken the one off my window and my daughters in an attempt to get inside the approaching officer asked me if I recognized the man and I told him I have never seen him before in my life this is when the officer looked at me and said that this man

admitted having been following me for about a month he first saw me at the grocery store which is within walking distance from my Apartment since then he had watched and waited for the opportunity to try to get into my apartment to play with me according to him this man followed me for a month and to make it even odder I would tell my then boyfriend that I felt at times as though I was being watched and I was scared the main thing I'm thankful for is that I'm the type of person who locks all the

windows and doors no matter how safe I [Applause] feel I live in the UK and a few years ago I sold up took early retirement bought a boat and dropped out to go on an adventure exploring the UK inland waterways I don't have a mooring through Choice the whole reason I bought a boat was to get out and explore and doing this has taken me to some really interesting places I wouldn't have thought of visiting otherwise I visited some Urban and Really Lively areas like Liverpool but also spent time out in the sticks away from

everything in extremely Rural and peaceful spots it's pretty cool being able to choose your spot dependent on your mood and if you don't like the area or don't like your neighbors you can just throw your ropes and move in the UK the waterways license enables you to boat without having to take a formal Marina birth provided you Genuinely keep moving with most moing spots being free up to 14 days before you have to move this is called constant cruising and if you have a decent craft well set up for off-grid living it's an amazing way

of life many people choose this way if they're not tied by their jobs or on an adventure like me but there are many living on pretty shady unlicensed boats out on the network because they can't afford anything else and some with some issues That you would be best to give a wide birth to I am a lone female boater with just my dog snorkeling Spaniel and two cats as crew so so I follow lots of boating forums to keep an ear out for problem areas or people and try to be sensible with my safety and

my choice of stopping points it's been very rare that I've ever had any sort of issues in the years I've been doing this but occasionally I'll find I've got little choice about where I have to stop or how Long for in the winter time I can often come across navigations closed due to flooding or broken infrastructure like a broken locks stopping me in my tracks in summer it's not unheard of for a canal to run out of water and find myself unable to move until the level rises again as I'm riding this I'm stranded on

a/4 Mile Stretch of canal with River navigations at either end closed due to flooding and I've been stuck here for 2 Months now my cats like to go out so I always try to Mo away from roads and seek out spots where the cats would have an Escape Route from any pursuing dog like a thick hedge or a fenced off area of some kind so I chose a spot right up at the end of this canal alongside a derel industrial area there's a couple of gaps in the steel fencing a person can get through and

after checking it out to make sure it's reasonably safe and finding mostly just Piles of bricks and unusable but deteriorated roadway left I've been in there regularly walking the dog with the cats even trotting behind only once have I ever seen anyone else in there and that was just another lady with her dog my cats have discovered there's mice in there and they're having way too much fun to come home as often as they usually do so it's become a nightly ritual to have to go in with my head Torch and dog and retrieve them

before bed they are both pretty great cats that think they're dogs so if I go and Shout for them they'll come running and follow me all the way back the first 7 weeks went without incident but a few nights ago I was in there shouting for one of my cats when I heard what sounded like bricks being bashed together in very deliberate even spaced multiples of three my first thought was someone was Hurt and maybe can't call out so they were trying to get my attention so I stopped and listened another three bashes came but

this time nearer okay someone's moving and definitely not stuck so I pick up the pace and think that this is just weird it's 11:00 p.m. and below zero with ice everywhere there's no shelter just piles of bricks so why would anyone be in here my cat comes bounding up at this point so I just scoop her up and practically run Back towards the fence another three bashes the first one really loud and heavily emphasized and again all very deliberate and evenly spaced but this time nearer again I've moved quite a distance and turned a corner

by this point but the noise has followed and switched sides like they had cut the corner and almost caught up with me I get us all through the fence and back on the boat locking it all down at first I don't hear anything but My cats did and they keep lifting their heads and alerting to something outside but then I do hear it the fence is only about 10 ft from my side of the boat and I hear a growling coming from the other side loud growling it was a god- aul sound and I sat

there scared witless wondering what kind of freak would be doing that and what they were going to do next if you can imagine a human trying to mimic the sound of of a slow revving motorbike it Kind of sounded like that and this went on for nearly 10 minutes I turned all my lights off in case they could see in and sat awake for hours too scared to sleep and constantly watching my crew for any indication that they could hear anything but there was nothing further and I eventually fell asleep 2 days later I was

walking down the toe path and walked past a small roughl looking Cruiser moed about 200 yd away from me as I passed I heard a man's Voice mimicking me calling my cat's name like I had been that night before I looked over and saw a really scruffy and dirty looking man I would say in his 30s with dark hooded eyes and god- aul teeth grinning at me I have no doubt this was his way of telling me that it had been him that night and he looked like he was now trying to freak me out

even more so I stopped for a second and gave him my best defiant I'm not scared of you and you would think again because I am a Secret badass stare I even managed A sly psychoes grin of my own right back at him before walking off I don't know why I reacted like that generally challenging someone who might be unbalanced is a dangerous thing to do and wouldn't be my usual approach apart from the fact he looked mentally ill at best possessed at worst anyone who roams around at night growling has some real scary issues

but just there in the moment I just Instinctively felt the need to stare him down and not show fear and boy do I hope my instincts were right because I am still stuck here and despite my bravado I am in no way a badass thankfully haven't seen him since in fact in the 2 months I've been here that was the only time I have clapped my eyes on him at all despite walking past the boat every other day I really hope to keep it that way and as soon as those navigation lights Change to signify

the river is open again me and my furry crew are out of here and to the possessed looking growling guy I hope your boat is as clapped out as it looks so that you can't [Applause] [Applause] follow a couple years ago my husband and I took a trip to yosee we stayed outside the park in El Portal one evening while we were driving back from the valley I Noticed that the head lights caught what appeared to be somebody laying down on the side of the road both feet pointed towards the street I told my husband

that there was a person laying in the pitch black on the side of the highway he knows I love my true crime and was absolutely certain that what I had seen was just trash bags I was so certain I just kept saying no I saw a body I know it was a person we made our way back to the hotel And as we were about to park my husband looked over at me and said you're really sure about this aren't you you want to go back I was desperate yes as we drove by again I

saw the feet I had my husband turn the car back around and yelled at him to stop the car he rolled down his window and said hey are you okay no answer one more time even louder hey are you Okay suddenly the woman dressed in all black sat up she was wearing a nice down jacket black pants and had her purse and three water bottles her makeup was done nicely and she seemed very sweet I could tell my husband was absolutely shocked I asked her where she was headed she said that she was trying to

get to the Chevron station up the road and that her mom was going going to meet her there to pick her up this woman looks to be in her late 40s I knew something weird was going on because where we found her the Chevron station was still another 7 m away or so she said in her mind she thought it was only about a mile from her hotel and she could walk it we offered her a ride and she climbed into the back seat not before I grabbed a thick scarf to wrap around my neck

in pepper spray as we drove we tried to ask her questions just chitchat I asked why she was laying on The side of the road she said she had gotten tired of walking and just decided to lay down ready to give up whatever that means it was Winter and she had no hat or gloves on I could tell she was very fragile once we arrived at the Chevron station she thanked us got out of the car and sat on a bench in front of the clo Chevron station store we offered to stay with her until

her mom arrived but she declined and Said she would be fine I reminded her that there was no cell reception in the area and triple checked that she didn't want us to wait with her we drove back to our hotel and noticed that there were now two police cars in the parking lot they had not been there the first time we arrived back from the valley that evening I told my husband I knew that they had to be there for that woman I calmly walked over to one of the cars and asked if they were

looking for a Missing person a woman the officer told me that they were and asked if I had seen her I explained the situation and that I really felt like the woman had something very bad happened to her he thanked us for picking her up and giving her a ride you couldn't tell me what had happened but thought her leaving and going somewhere else was a smart choice I asked that he go check on her at the Chevron station just to make sure she was okay and that her mom did eventually Arrive I'm realizing that

whatever happened was at the same hotel that we were at that evening I looked up the local police log and found that a domestic violence dispute had broken out at the hotel the woman had been beaten very badly and she was so terrified that she was willing to walk in the dark without a flashlight just to to escape it's my guess that after walking about a half mile from the hotel she was in so much Pain that she just needed to lay down I got the feeling like she thought she may actually die there she

couldn't go back to the hotel because she had already escaped and gone to the front desk to call her mom her husband knew she had been there and would have come after her the front office called the police for her while she escaped it's my understanding that the man who hurt her was her husband and was arrested I always wondered about her and Whether she went back to him did her mom ever pick her up is she safe now my husband listens when I say there's a body on the side of the road [Applause] it

was fall of 2015 and I was 14 years old I've always stayed up late late on the weekends where the sun started to rise and you could hear the early morning Birds I was usually up playing Whatever video game I was into at the time or Watching anime one night I decided to watch one of my favorite movies to date Spirited Away it must have been about 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. a. am. at this point when I heard a crash outside the front of the house it sounded metallic like some kind of crunching and breaking

of what I thought could be our satellite dish hitting the pavement of our driveway it scared me at first but I blew it off and figured I would just let my dad know in The morning when he woke up for work there was no reason to bother him now about it not like it was an emergency or anything since I didn't even watch cable I resumed watching the movie we lived in the outskirts of town surrounded by Forest there was about a/4 mile on either side of us before we reached the neighbor's property we lived

on a hill where the road curved around the grass that lined our front yard it was sharp enough that you couldn't see If anything was coming while pulling out of your driveway you had to roll the windows down and listen for any approaching cars across the street from us was a golf course and a bit farther than that was a local Zoo so you can imagine there is not a lot of light or people around at night 10 minutes or so had passed since I heard the satellite fall when I started to hear what I

thought was faint Screaming from outside I could feel my ears getting hot and my heart starting to race I paused the movie and sat quietly listening another one I tried to believe it could have been some kind of animal out there but it was definitely The Scream from another human being I got up and just stared at the curtains that covered the window in our living room too afraid to pull them back And look outside the screaming continued a woman my mind jumped to the first horrific thing I could think of someone is getting murdered

in the woods outside of our house still being weary about the situation I woke up my older brother first and told him what I had heard I I must not have seemed frightened enough because all he did was Shuffle in his bed and say with a groggy Voice it's probably a monkey or something that escaped from the zoo it happens with him being around 4 years older than me I decided to try to believe that I went back out into the living room the screaming was too surreal for me to ignore it was blood curdling

all I could do was stand there Frozen with fear listening to it way along faintly from outside I wasn't sure what could be Happening out there anymore this had been going on for what felt like 10 or 15 minutes by now if someone was getting killed in the woods in front of my house I thought it would be over by now with almost perfect timing as I'm standing there Frozen hair standing up on all ends and eyes wide there was a knocking on our front door just a few F feet away from me they're coming

for us without even thinking I bolted into my parents' bedroom down the hall dad someone's Knocking on the door it looked like some sort of force had pushed my father out of his bed he sprung into action it took him all of about 5 Seconds to get up get to the closet and pull out a weapon he motioned for me to stay behind him as he crept out from the hallway to the living room with his back against the door and weapon in hand he he slowly turned the knob and opened the door to reveal

a small child this kid had to be about 7 years Old with cuts on his face and arms my mom needs help he said to us my father opened the door all the way to reveal that down the hill a van had crashed head on to the tree across the street the screaming was coming from the mother behind the wheel now that I could hear it fully she had been screaming for help he told the kid to hold on for a second while he went to throw on some clothes by this point my mom and

brother Were awake and standing next to me my father told us to stay while he went down to check out the situation if anything really serious or gruesome was down there he did not want any of us to see it we took the kid in wrapped a blanket around him and got him some water we put cartoons on the TV and tried anything we could to distract him my father later told us there was the mother a toddler and an infant also in the vehicle the Toddler was completely fine and the baby had been flipped

out of its car seat and was sitting on the floor of the back seat it had its arm curled up to its body holding it and crying it must have broken something the mother on the other hand was crushed in between the seat and the steering wheel she went on Yelling that she couldn't feel her legs and begged my father to look and see if he could see anything he took a deep breath pulled Out his phone flashlight and tried to look down at her legs they could have been torn up mangled or even severed

from her body for all he knew but he couldn't see anything the front of the car was pushed in so far that he couldn't even see past the steering wheel the woman was small maybe 100 lb or so and that is what saved her life had she been any bigger the 55 mph impact would have killed her instantly she said she had fallen asleep At the wheel on the way home from her parents house once the police and paramedics arrived we gave the kid back to them and watched from our driveway they pulled out the

jaws of life to cut away the pieces of the car in order to get to her it took about 45 minutes to get her out of what used to be her SUV the impact of the crash combined with shredding the thing apart it hardly Looked at all like a vehicle anymore it was too far away and too dark out for me to make out most of what was happening I don't remember them pulling her out which is probably a good thing I can't imagine what her legs must have looked like everyone was put into the

ambulance and and headed to the hospital my family and I stayed awake for a few hours after that still shaken up from what had just happened I'm 22 now and I still think About that night a few times a year I don't think I'll ever forget the screams of pure pain and fear that I heard that night for a bit of context after moving to a more rural area I haven't been able to see my grandparents as much as I did when my family and I were living in the city because of that once in

a while they will take the long drive over here to stay for about a week or two last Monday that is exactly what Happened my grandmother grandfather and uncle came to stay for a week now my family and and I own a German Shepherd dog named Cain he is about 2 years old and boy is he hyper Cain does not like anything coming onto our property or into our home so he will bark for ages unless the thing leaves or we remove him from the situation while my grandparents and Uncle were here He barked at

each and every one of them through the glass Storm door that's attached to our front door and he would bark at my grandpa whenever he went to sit outside one night we had him inside in a dog crate because he comes inside to sleep sometimes his crate was placed behind the couch and sitting at the edge of the couch was my uncle and once Cain got a good Sniff and realized that he wasn't one of us he started barking so we had to put a blanket over his crate now that you know how crazy our

Good boy is here's the story as I'm telling this my grandparents and uncle just left about an hour ago and my uncle had quite a story to tell in the morning last night Kane's crate was placed in my room because well I wanted him in my room always having outside dogs throughout my childhood I never got to have one of them sleep in my room with me so I was quite excited about our upcoming Sleepover after getting the crate in my room and placing a blanket down for cane we brought him in from outside side

and into my room and in the hallway outside of my room there are two bathrooms on the wall to the left I closed my door so Cain wouldn't see one of my grandparents or my uncle trying to go into the bathroom and start barking at them in the middle of the night after reading and talking to Cain a bit I turned off the lights and we Both went to sleep in the early hours of the morning around 1: to 3:00 a.m. my uncle got up from the couch to go use the bathroom on the other

side of the house we always have a small light on in the kitchen at night so it isn't too dark and I'm guessing that's how my uncle saw what he saw in the hallway after walking from the living room and through the kitchen he got to where the two bathrooms were and sitting Motionless in front of my bathroom door was what looked to be Cain his mostly black fur almost Blended in with the darkness making it difficult to see his face ears straight up not barking or growling just staring heavily unnerved he turned around and

walked back to the living room a while later my grandpa got up to use the bathroom and lo and behold nothing was there my uncle was adamant that he did see Cain in that Hallway but Cain was in my room inside of a locked cage and behind a closed door and if he was merely seeing things due to being sleepy the fear of the situation would have woken him up enough for his illusion of Cain sitting in the hallway to disappear sometimes I'll see a spider or multiple spiders on my wall while I'm half asleep

and once I blink or really look at it they will Disappear but what my uncle saw didn't so I believe that he did see something something but it wasn't Cain it was something trying to take the form of Cain for what reason I don't know but the intentions of that potential entity remaining unknown make it all the more disturbing [Applause] I'm what they call a creature of the night it's not uncommon for me to stay up till the rising of the Sun in fact most weekends I do just that so it wasn't unusual for me

to be up at 2:29 a.m. on a Saturday morning it was unusual to receive a phone call at that time still I didn't think much of it I have a fairly large family and my grandma had been in and out of the hospital recently I picked up the phone and I said hello there were no intelligible words I could make out it was just rustling and Low growling noises coming from the other end of the line I hung up the phone figuring it was some kids playing a practical joke I picked up my controller and

resumed playing my game when the phone rang again I didn't even bother picking it up the phone rang a third time and once again I ignored it on the fourth ring I was fed up with the little Bratz I answered yelling into the receiver stop calling Me this time I got a response the person on the other end said Terren you're going to pay pay for what I asked a click was the only response I received this had to be a prank from one of my brain dead friends I was not a bad guy and

couldn't think of anything I had done to anyone still my heart was beating faster and I could hardly keep myself from looking out the window I decided to make a preliminary Check around my house I have seen enough horror movies to know the possible ways of Entry I made sure all the doors were locked and the windows were shut as as I rounded back to my gaming chair I looked out the window to see a lone man standing directly underneath the street light across from my house he was holding a large fire axe and had

some sort of mask over his face to my dismay he was slowly crossing the street Directly over to my house officially I began to freak out I did my civic duty and promptly let the cops know at this point the man had marched directly to my front door and began smashing it with his axe I was still in college at this time so the dump of a house I was renting in was not known for having reinforced anything with a few heavy strikes the masked stranger had the door sliced into ribbons I was hiding in

my bedroom in my Closet if I could just remain hidden long enough for the police to arrive then I would be okay my bedroom door was kicked in and I heard the man checking underneath the bed next he moved to the bathroom my heart began to beat outside of my chest there was nowhere else to check but the closet still I heard no Sirens it looked as if it was up to me I closed my eyes in resolve and prepared for the man to open the door I heard his heavy Footsteps making the old floorboards

Creek with each step as he neared my breaths became more rapid he must have been able to hear them no point in hiding anymore he was reaching for the door I exploded into motion kicking the heavy wooden door directly into his face with so much force it came off of its hinges the Intruder was slammed across the room in seconds I was on top of him ripping him to shreds with my bare hands I Scooped up handfuls of his still warm flesh into my mouth savoring every bite his cries tampered off with a wet squelching

sound formed in the back of his throat and just like that all was over his body remained still I remained there drenched from his lifeblood after all I am a creature of the night [Applause] I lived in the beautiful city of Los Angeles for about 8 years now my family in the midwest always asks me isn't there so much crime there I don't know how you deal with it but other than getting my car battery stolen a few times and the terrifying in inent I'm about to share with y'all I haven't really encountered much this

occurred in an apartment complex in Hollywood I was living in with three roommates about a year before The pandemic hit for those who haven't been to Hollywood let me set the scene most of it is the complete opposite of the Glamorous celebrity filled Mecca that we are shown in the movies and pop culture maybe it really was glamorous at one point and those remnants can be felt in some places but now it seems to be a magnet for the sketchiest people you can imagine it's extremely dirty and sometimes feels unsafe to walk the streets by

yourself During the day let alone at night you truly never know who you will run into and I don't mean that in a good way now for the apartment complex itself as mentioned this is a sketchy area but for whatever reason my comp comp Lex didn't have any Security on site ever I've lived in far less sketchy Apartments in La that had security patrolling the buildings at all times so not having any just seemed a bit insane to make things worse the complex would Rent out certain apartment units to Airbnb guests meaning that randos were

entering and leaving the building 24/7 both of these elements contributed to what happened on the night in question which also happened to be the day I moved in so on this day I was almost done moving all of my stuff in it was around 9:00 p.m. that night and all that was left to carry inside from my car was a suitcase full of clothes and a stack of Records I walked into the lobby of the complex carrying this stuff and waited for one of the two elevators to come as I was waiting a group of

three or four people entered the lobby who were clearly here for an Airbnb judging by their luggage and wide-eyed sense of wonderment as this group came into the lobby doors which were entirely made of seethrough glass I noticed a man lingering directly behind them my first glance at this man filled me with a Feeling of dread you could just tell that this was someone off the street who did not need to be entering this building he was tall with wild hair wearing a filthy wife beater that I'm assuming was white at one point he had

a dangerous dead-eyed quality that communicated to me that he was out of it on something drunk or something else not sure but I knew that I did not want this man in my building the group of tourists continued chatting to each other Completely oblivious this man trailing them to my dismay they allowed Ed him to stagger into the lobby right behind them now myself the tourists and the man are all standing at the front of the elevators the tourist still seemingly oblivious to how unhinged and potentially dangerous this man seemed as both of the elevator

doors opened at the same time I scurried into one and the tourist shuffled into the other to my absolute horror the man jumped into my Elevator at the last second as the doors closed I realized I was in there trapped alone with him now I am already a paranoid person who is way too addicted to horror and True Crime so I was freaking out at this point I was standing as close to the front of the elevator as possible while the man stayed toward the back it became more and more apparent that this was a

man who was on something and incoherent As he began muttering things I couldn't understand behind me I had no idea if it was directed toward me himself or an unknown entity that only he could see but I didn't turn around or look his way out of fear of encouraging it his mutterings grew louder as I continued standing toward the front of the elevator praying that he wouldn't try anything the man then gruffly snarled hey I shot him a look out of pure reflex to see him with an undone Zipper touching himself and staring at me

with those dazed unwell eyes this entire sequence felt like an eternity but was probably only about 1 minute or so as we finally reached my floor and the doors opened I walked out of the elevator as quickly but as calmly as possible not wanting to provoke him further I lived at the end of the hallway a straight shot from the elevator I was about halfway down the hallway thinking that I was possibly in The clear as he didn't seem to be following me but I could still hear the man making incoherent noises from the elevator

I glanced behind me to see the man exit the [Music] elevator he yelled down at me and that was it I was not about to make it this far to get attacked now I started running still dragging my suitcase and holding my records and to my Panic he started running after me my stuff Crashed to the ground as I dropped it and ran as fast as I could to my door which was unlocked thank God due to my other roommates being home as I slammed the door shut and locked it the man reached our door

muttering and growling I honestly don't even think he knew where he was or what he was doing he seriously seemed that messed up maybe he only started running because I started running who knows but thankfully I had made it to my door before him Thanks to his pause before coming after me after I had gotten inside my apartment I was shaking and crying from the shock of it all and sitting with my back against the door my roommates had heard me scream as I was running down the hallway which I wasn't even aware of doing

and came to ask me what had happened I explained the story to them but was too scared to look outside of the people at that point my roommates did for me and said that the man was Just wandering around our hallway looking lost for a few minutes before going back down the elevator surprisingly that was the only crazy thing that really happened in that apartment there was one time that the glass doors in the lobby got completely shattered by someone and we were literally without doors for a while leaving us exposed to anyone who wanted

to wander in and do whatever they wanted oh well I'm glad I made it out of That place [Applause] alive I don't usually write a lot but there's something that has been weighing heavily on my mind and I feel the need to share it it happened when I was just 13 years old and although it occurred fairly recently certain details of that incident still remain a hazy memory nevertheless I'll do my best to recount the night that forever changed my Life the amusement park the only renowned one in our state had recently opened its Gates

as the seasons transitioned Into Summer for privacy reasons I won't disclose closed the Park's name or the ride where this unsettling event occurred typically I visited the park once or twice a year with my friends my family and occasionally my parents we would roam around indulge in tasty treats and experience The Thrill of the Rides just regular kid stuff however this particular visit was destined to make me swear off amusement parks for the rest of my day it was a chilly night that mix of cold and warm however the sky remained clear which was all

the confirmation that my friends Nick Kaden and I needed to ask our parents if we could go miraculously they agreed and in no time we found ourselves being dropped off at the Park's entrance brimming with excitement Ready to immerse ourselves in the vibrant thrilling attractions among them there was one ride that stood out as my personal favorite and I'm certain my friends felt the same way housed inside a dome-shaped building this exhilarating ride dazzled us with a whirlwind of spinning lights and adrenaline pumping speeds it seemed like the perfect choice except for one thing the

dreaded line Not only was it a claustrophobic Person's worst night nightmare but it almost always guaranteed an agonizing weight of at least an hour on that particular occasion the line stretched so far that it reached one of the neighboring rides about 100 yard away seeing this we all let out exasperated size realizing that we had no choice but to endure the line before we could move on we figured we might as well get it out of the way early as the line snaked its way forward we Noticed that on the left side where the line

extended towards the forest there were shrubs and bushes my friends and I didn't pay much attention to them at first which is why we failed to notice something peculiar until we reached the large sign bearing the ride's name it was Kaden who first spoke up excitement laced with a hint of concern evident in his voice did you guys see that he exclaimed Pointing in the direction of the forest no what Nick replied glancing over at the bushes curiosity peaked I looked in the same direction there crouched down among the foliage was a person wearing a

Jason Vorhees mask initially we found it amusing thinking it was a part of some Halloween themed event or party that the amusement Park occasionally hosted in October however it was July a fact that should have raised more Suspicion whether it was ignorance or just us being naive kids we chuckled assuming it was some kid playing a harmless prank our attention quickly returned to the ride and we dismissed the incident as an inconsequential Oddity we endured the line for a gruelling 2 hours and despite the relatively brief 5-minute ride itself it was undeniably worth the wait

afterward we decided to grab a bite to eat and enjoy a few more Attractions time flew by and before we knew it it was time to head back to the parking lot where our parents would be waiting unlike other kids who would typically complain we welcomed the idea of leaving as exhaustion started to creep in amusement parks can be quite demanding navigating through the throngs of people also making their way towards the exit I noticed something out of the corner of my eye a glimpse of that very same Jason Vorhees mask this time I Managed

to catch a glimpse of the full figure behind it the person was massive towering at least 6'6 with a build reminiscent of a freight train this man was a behemoth and it became glaringly evident that it wasn't just some kid playing a childish prank subtly urging my friends to Quicken their Pace we hustled toward the exit as we reached the dark expanse of the parking lots I finally gathered the Courage to share what I had seen I told them what I saw and how big the guy was my voice trembling with a mix of fear

and disbelief yeah right Nick responded who was always the skeptic especially when it came to this sort of stuff Kaden however remained silent his Gaze fixated on the park behind us and uneasiness apparent in his eyes no seriously I insisted my voice growing more urgent as Nick and I Engaged in a brief back and forth Kaden's next words cut through our heated exchange causing us to pause and snap our heads back in the direction of the park little did I know that his Revelation would unleash an unprecedented Terror leaving an indelible mark on my childhood

memories guys guys look Kaden screamed his voice tinged with Terror as he began sprinting toward the parking lot at first all I could see were the masses of People flooding out of the park I didn't understand what had spooked him so profoundly and Nick appeared equally conf confused then I saw it the Jason Vorhees mask once again this time the significance of its presence registered in our minds and we bolted in sheer Panic the Colossal figure adorned with the mask was hurdling towards us at an alarming speed clutching something in his hand a mysterious cloth

that I never Had a chance to examine closely we ran as if our lives depended on it eventually catching up to Caden in the vast expanse of the parking lot together we gasped for breath scanning our surroundings in a frenzied State until we spotted my parents' car without wasting a second we scrambled inside screaming at them to floor it although they wore expressions of bewilderment and concern my dad pressed down on the accelerator propelling us away from that Nightmare as swiftly as possible interrogation became the theme of our 1-hour ride back home and it was

Nick who mustered the courage to offer brief one-word answers to our parents Relentless questions in truth all of us were still reeling from the shock struggling to process the enormity of what had just occurred to this day I remained baffled by the man's intentions what was he Doing why did he single us out why did he do this with the ton of people around and what Horrors awaited us if he had managed to close the distance between us I vowed never to return to that specific amusement park although I have visited a few others since

then nevertheless you can bet your bottom dollar that I always keep a Vigilant eye forever wary of the lurking Shadows for you never know who might be hiding in the Darkness waiting to pounce [Applause] 2 years ago I took a part-time job that still haunts me to this day I decided to finally write about my experience hoping it might help process everything I was a college student and like a lot of you I needed a part-time job to help cover tuition and and other expenses after a long search I found what seemed like the perfect

job it was a caregiver position working from 5:00 P.m. to 9:00 p.m. taking care of elderly people the job was pretty straightforward make sure they took their meds had their meals and just hang out with them for a few hours I got a sign to take care of this 85-year-old lady let's call her Mrs Eleanor to keep things anonymous she lived alone in this quaint little house on the edge of town the place was old but well-kept with a Charming slightly overgrown Garden that probably Hadn't seen a gardener in a few years she had a

small poodle named Max who was always by her side following her around everywhere she went from the start the house felt off there were no family pictures anywhere I mean you would think at her age she would have photos of kids grandkids maybe an old lover or something but no nothing it was weird the walls were bare except for a few generic paintings I asked her about it once just casually During a conversation but she brushed it off and changed the subject real fast she had this look in her eyes a mix of sadness and

something I couldn't quite place I didn't push it because I didn't want to lose the job but it definitely made me curious my daily routine was simple enough I would get there around 5:00 p.m. cook dinner make sure she took her meds and just keep her company for a few Hours max the poodle was a friendly little guy always happy to see me wagging his tail and jumping around despite his age Mrs Eleanor though was polite but pretty reserved she didn't talk much about her past or family which just added to the mystery our conversations

were always pretty basic like talking about the weather or what was on the news every evening as I cleaned up after dinner I would hear Mrs Eleanor singing A lullabi it was the same soft melodic tune every night echoing through the quiet house while the song was gentle it really creeped me out it felt so out of place in the otherwise Silent House she sang it every night like clockwork and it always made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up sometimes I would find myself pausing my cleaning just to listen the whole

situation was Unsettling the house the lack of family photos the nightly lullaby at all felt like pieces of a puzzle that didn't quite fit together I couldn't shake the feeling that there was a deeper darker story behind those Melodies it was like the house held secrets that it wasn't ready to share and I was just an outsider peeking in as the weeks went by my curiosity grew stronger why was she singing this lullabi every night who was it for the routine stayed the same but The sense of une knees kept building I had been given

strict instructions by my employer to not go into Mrs Eleanor's room it was one of the non-negotiable rules of the job probably to respect her privacy and maintain professional boundaries one evening while I was cleaning the dishes I noticed that the door to Mrs Eleanor's small office was slightly open she had always kept it closed and had told me it was just a m She didn't want me to fuss around with but that evening the door was invitingly open hearing her closed the bathroom door upstairs I decided to take the chance and peek inside the

office the room looked straight out of the 1960s blue walls a small single bed a wooden desk cluttered with old papers there was a small closet to the left that caught my eye the whole setup struck me as odd this Room which looks like it belonged to a young boy was in the home of an elderly woman living alone there were no pictures no personal belongings nothing to explain why this room was here I couldn't Explore More because I heard footsteps right above me making my heart race panicking I quickly closed the door and hurried

back to the kitchen the rest of the evening went by uneventfully I gave her the necessary pills made sure she was comfortable and Left for the night but I couldn't stop thinking about that room why would she have a boy's room in her house if she had no children the thought gwed at me creating a whirlwind of questions the next day my curiosity got the better of me I decided to do some research on Mrs Elenor more I spent hours online searching for any information about her but nothing came up no social media profiles no

news Articles nothing not a single piece of information about her life it was baffling and left me with more questions than answers I returned to work after the weekend determined to find out more that evening as usual I prepared dinner and assured Mrs Eleanor took her medication then I waited for her to go to the bathroom the moment I heard the bathroom door close I quickly made my way to the office the room was just as I Had left it with that same lingering musty smell hanging in the air this time I opened the closet

inside I found small boxes stacked neatly but covered in a thin layer of dust my heart pounded as I opened one to find baby clothes tiny socks pants and sweaters all meant for a baby boy they were neatly folded and seemed well preserved despite their apparent age but why would Mrs Eleanor have these the discovery left me with More questions than answers I went back to making dinner trying to process what I had found my mind was racing with possibilities but none of them made any sense was it possible she had a child once if

so where was he now that night as usual Mrs Eleanor began singing her lullabi normally this song would send shivers down my spine creeping me out every time but this night was different instead of fear I felt a surge of Curiosity that I could not ignore I went upstairs quietly and with each step up the lullabi grew louder the door to her bedroom was almost closed but had a small Gap just enough for me to peek through she always left a gap saying it was to let Max come and go as he pleased I peered

through the Gap and was shocked by what I saw there Mrs Eleanor was sitting in a rocking chair gently swaying back and forth she was holding Max in her arms Cradling him like a baby and singing softly to him next to her was a small wooden cradle old and worn as if it hadn't been used in years she continued her lullabi her voice soft and melodic but now it felt more sad than creepy her gentle rocking the way she cradled Max and the soft Melody of the lullab I created an image that was hard to

shake I slowly backed away from the door not wanting to intrude any further I Went back downstairs my mind spinning from what I had just seen this made me think and start connecting all the dots was she pretending her dog was a baby a baby she never had I could be wrong but that would make sense right the boy room the baby clothes no pictures no husband no children just her and her dog whom she pretended was her own son there are many possibilities maybe she lost her child during a miscarriage or the son died

somehow it's heartbreaking to think About but I had no way of knowing for sure since there was nothing about her online I even asked my boss about Mrs Eleanor trying to get some information about her past my boss didn't know much either just that Mrs Eleanor had always been a bit reserved and private she mentioned that Mrs Eleanor had experienced some tragic losses and that she was now quite Lonely with some health issues typical for her age but nothing Specific I worked out the rest of the week but everything felt so creepy and intense the

quiet dinner together the silence in the house The Haunting lullabi it all felt like I was living in some kind of ghost story each night as I lay in bed I couldn't stop thinking about what I had seen the pieces seemed to fit together but they painted a picture that was too tragic and Eerie for me to handle even during the day I found Myself distracted replaying conversations with Mrs Eleanor in my mind looking for Clues I might have missed I thought about asking her directly but quickly dismissed the idea it felt too intrusive and

honestly I was scared of what I might uncover there was a part of me that didn't want to know the full story because the fragments I had were already too much I noticed more details that added To the unsettling atmosphere the way Mrs Eleanor would sometimes pause mids sentence as if lost in a distant memory or how she would stroke Max's fur with a far away look in her eyes the house itself seemed to hold its breath I made my decision I sent a text message to my boss saying that I couldn't continue with the

job and that I was quitting immediately I didn't even say goodbye to Mrs Eleanor it felt wrong and I know it was rude but I just couldn't bring myself to face her again I thought of another day in that house surrounded by haunting memories and unanswered questions was too much for me to handle I felt a mix of guilt and relief guilt for leaving without a proper goodbye for abandoning Mrs Eleanor when she clearly needed someone but also relief knowing that I wouldn't have to endure another evening Of L eyes and unsettling silences I knew

I was being cowardly but I just couldn't do it the experience had taken a toll on me and I needed to get out the whole experience was something I couldn't shake off easily it made me think a lot about the hidden struggles people face and the ways they cope with their pain Mrs Eleanor's story whatever the full truth was taught me that sometimes s the past can cast a long Shadow over the present so that's my story it was a job that I thought would be simple but it ended up being one of the most

emotionally intense experiences of my life I have a fear we all do and I'm sure this fear is common with many others I fear aliens I believe in aliens I'm sure many people around the world agree with both statements but can you say that you have Been visited by aliens I have never put this story on any form of hard copy and very few people I associate with even know the story but the few people who do know it suggested that I share it with all of you because they think this is the type of

story that will pique your interest I'm 31 now and this happened when I was 17 but I remember this event with so much Vivid detail it's almost as if it happened just a few minutes Ago at this time in my life my seveners family lived in a single wide trailer on a big plot of land owned by my stepmom's parents to better picture the event I'm about to share with you the layout of the land when you first turn into the driveway on the left hand side at the top of the land sits a double

wide trailer which was inhabited by my stepmom's parents the driveway turns to head to their place but then loops around taking you Back to the main driveway and down to the second trailer which was our very crowded home right next to our trailer was the corn crop field it wasn't one of those huge fields that you see in the movies or in the sides of rural roads just a simple decent sized field which we harvested and tended to during the summer vacations when you enter our trailer you walk right into the living area and immediately

to your right is my parents' Room the living room opens into the kitchen and down the hallway the first room on the left was the boys room there were three boys the second door on the left is the bathroom and at the very end of the trailer is mine and my sister's room in our room we shared a trundle bed and there was a window right next to our dresser which in those times sat an old box-shaped television and a VCR when the trundle bed was pulled out Fully it would touch the dresser and if

you laid at the foot of it you could see directly out the window and since it was a single wide trailer the window practically sat on the ground but the view from the window was one of the Eerie proportions the wonderful view from from my bedroom window was the cornfield as you can imagine we rarely laid at the foot of the bed and looked out the window We Were Young so the Thought of that was just plain scary One Summer Night in July we were all in bed my sister being younger than me always fell

asleep before I did she would grind her teeth in her sleep and it would be annoying enough for me to move my pillows down to the foot of the bed and just turn my back to the window even though there were curtains on the window of course it was still creepy I had fallen asleep and was sleeping quite well when out of nowhere I woke up nothing woke me it seemed no noise no feeling I just woke up sitting up in the bed I could see a light glaring through the window and sitting on the

wall across from me the light was red in color and would deepen and then brighten still half asleep not understanding and possessing a curious mind I pulled back the curtain hovering over the field was a craft the shape of an oval it was huge And the lights were coming from it I shook my head as if I was going to shake myself from a dream but nothing happened the craft still hovered and the terror I felt was very real I stared out the window for quite some time when I noticed movement in the cornfield I

didn't even realize I was holding my breath until the lightheadedness hit me I watched the movement in the field anticipating what may come out when she exited I say she Because this very tall thin gray figure had extremely prominent femal likee features I gasped and when I did it was almost as if she heard it and her head whipped around and she made immediate eye contact with me I slipped out of the bed and hid under the window sill as if that was going to hide me I waited there and watched the red light dance

and fade on the wall across from me when the thought occurred to me why am I the only one awake in experiencing this my sister She honestly could sleep through a tornado so it wasn't really her I was thinking about but had no one else in the trailer noticed or was aware feeling a sense of bravery and honestly that curious mind of mine taking over I wanted to look out the window again slowly I began to rise letting only my eyes peer out and when I did there she was standing there as if she were

waiting for me to look I made eye contact with an Alien you don't have to believe me you can call me crazy say I was dreaming but I know what I saw the eyes I contacted were big and black they blinked in a sideways fashion and her face had two tiny slits where a nose would be and very thin like lips I froze my heart pounding in my ears holding my breath there in front of me stood an alien she placed her hand with which only had four finger like parts and slid The window open

I was Bewitched stuck unable to move speak scream and apparently even breathe we maintained I contct as she reached through the window with very little effort Lifted Me and gracefully pulled me through my window I was still unable to do anything at all it was almost like she had some type of Trance on me my mind was screaming my heart was pounding and if I were able to I would have been Shaking she placed me on my feet and took my hand her hand felt warm warmer than mine almost feverish she led me to the

craft in my mind I was resisting but my body followed behind her like a lost puppy then all went dark my eyes flew open as a searing pain ran through my uterus and ovaries looking around I was unable to move still but that was to my sudden realization because I was strapped to a Table surrounding me were similar looking aliens they were looking at me as if they were the ones seeing something unfamiliar and new which upon further thought to them I was the alien it took me a few moments to realize that I was

unclothed and very uncomfortably exposed I started crying and begging him to take me home to please not hurt me they just kept looking and moving around me completing tasks I was unaware of When again a sharp pain radiated through my reproductive area I yelled out in pain pleading that they stop then all was dark again stirring I cuddled into my blanket and shot straight up in my bed I looked around my room and began crying I was so relieved to be home I was terrified that they wouldn't bring me back and convincing myself what I

had experienced had to be a very bad dream the urge to use the restroom hit And I pushed the blanket off me and discovered a small pool of blood on my bed I had begun my monthly cycle way before I was due I slid to the side of the bed to get get up and go to the bathroom I planted my feet on the floor and stood when I did this a pain so intense radiated through my ovaries my uterus around to my lower back and down my legs all the way to my feet I

immediately sat down and huddled over I was shocked I remembered everything that Happened when I woke I had decided it was a very Vivid dream but all this pain felt like the pain I was experiencing ing in the dream finally deciding I had to woman through the pain I stood up and slowly made my way to the bathroom that thank goodness was not far from my room once I got into the bathroom I turned on the shower and began preparing it I realized that blood was running down my leg and I had never had such

an issue before over The passing months I continued to experience intense pain in the same area so bad that I couldn't even go to school for a few days I was the type of student that enjoyed school and took pride in receiving the perfect attendance certificate at the end of the year so missing school was a big deal and highly unusual seeing that there was obviously something wrong my dad asked my stepmom to schedule me an appointment at the Lady doctor as he called it she did so and only a few days later I found

myself participating in my very first first gynecologist appointment I need not give details my doctor asked some questions ran some tests told me to come back in 2 weeks we did so and at the following appointment the doctor informed me and my stepmom that I had developed endometriosis and that based on the scarring that was already apparent and The scarring that would continue to develop throughout the years I would most likely experience issues reproducing from then on I have had awful monthly experiences and did have terrible issues conceiving I did though get my miracle baby

she's five now but when in labor with her 57 hours of it I ended up having to have an emergency C-section my heart stopped beating afterward for 3 minutes in 27 Seconds following my daughter I became pregnant again not purposefully and certainly against the advice of my doctors he was a little boy and I made it to 25 weeks with him before miscarrying and almost hemorrhaging afterwards I almost lost my life the issues that I have had and continue to have led me to the point I'm at today I have a decision to make and

that is to have a full Hysterctomy I haven't built up the courage honestly because I'm 30 1 and my doctor has already told me the biggest downfall to this procedure would be early onet menopause I feel too young for that I know that I've shared some personal information here but I firmly believe that I was taken by aliens and whatever experiments they had performed caused the issues I dealt and still deal with 14 years later I don't expect anyone to Believe this I'm not asking anyone to but I felt maybe it was the time to

share [Applause] it while this story may not be one that makes you stay up all night it is one I tend to think about every fall season last year my boyfriend and I had been so excited for it to be Halloween we live in an area pretty Central to several big Halloween attractions so we had planned to go to at least one we Finally decided on a haunted attraction about 2 hours from where we live and when it hit October 1st we had made plans to take the trip I drove while my boyfriend his little

brother and his little cousin rode along you might think that this is going to be a scary story about the attraction itself but you would be wrong the attraction was actually very enjoyable with about four or five different haunted areas to go through we left around midnight after Filling up on cider and hot chocolate and started making our way back home because this was a completely new area for me I had been using GPS on my phone to take us there and back while we were talking about how much we loved the attraction and who

all we would like to bring along next time I got distracted and missed a turn that would have taken us off the back road and onto the major highway the road opt named Spooky Nook Lane was extremely dark as there were no Street lamps or homes nearby and there were no other cars out at that time of night I slowed enough to allow my phone to reroute us and saw that the new route would keep us on Spooky Nook Lane until we hit a stop sign I figured that was easy enough so I returned my

focus to the road and the conversation as I approached the stop sign however we all noticed a large silhouette in the middle of the road at first we thought it was a deer or even a Bear that had been hit by a car I slowed to a crawl to find a way to get around it but gasped in Surprise as it started to move it was then that we realized that this was not an animal but a human man a human man who had definitely been hit by a car I shouted at my boyfriend to

dial 911 as I pulled over and put my hazard lights on I rolled down the window and shouted to the man asking if he was okay as my boyfriend explained the situation to the 911 dispatcher my Boyfriend's younger cousin pointed out that there was a beat up Van parked on the other side of the road shortly past the stop sign I then saw that Not only was the van on and running but there appeared to be another man jumping in the back seat he then slammed the door shut and the van sped off I returned

my focus to the man in the road who was now hobbling his way to my car we repeatedly asked him what happened but he was severely disoriented and spoke very Little English it seemed I pointed in the direction the van had gone and asked if they had hit him to which he replied in the affirmative my boyfriend pointed to the phone still active with the 911 dispatcher and assured him that help was on its way at this point the Man became more verbal repeatedly saying no police no police we explained that we weren't getting him

in trouble that we were trying to get a medical Assistance he continued to say no and eventually started hobbling away while mumbling something about living near nearby the dispatcher heard this conversation and while she agreed that he sounded like he needed help there was very little she could do if he was not willing to stay put until the ambulance arrived she cancelled the call out and we thanked her for her help anyway we all sat there stunned at first wondering what in the world had just happened the Man definitely did not live nearby and had

to have suffered a concussion at the very least as I started driving away we started talking about what could it have been after some pretty wild theories we settled on the most likely explanation the man had had some sort of falling out with the people in the van who purposefully attempted to run him over when they saw us approach they probably realized that we would be Calling 911 and decided to bolt as for why the man refused Emergency Services we have two possible theories either the man was an undocumented citizen or he and his van

buddies had been up to something less than legal if anyone has any other theories I'm all ears to this day I wonder about the real story behind that night and what would have happened to that man if I had made The right turn instead I work at a gas station in the Deep South a part of Louisiana that most people have never even heard of I'm talking about dirt roads with no name thick trees that seem to swallow darkness and you might be lucky enough to see a street light every other mile the little gas

station that I work at is located in the trifecta of all these elements I of course work the overnight shifts the gas station doesn't see much Excitement there are either the 10 customers that come in between the hours of 10: p.m. to 6:00 a.m. or the random o possums that decide to make the trash cans outside their personal drum set but I digress the night started as any other night make sure all of the snacks cold drinks and beer were all properly stocked check now all that is left for me to to do is well

wait I stood behind the counter looking at inventory listening to music and just pacing Around for the first couple of hours you know the thing that people say time flies yeah that did not apply to that shift as I got bored I decided to leave the register and check out the items on the Shelf to you know make sure nothing majestically sold itself as I was on one of the aisles I heard a man call out hey y'all open I turned around to see that I had two customer standing at the Checkout now I should

mention this gas station does not have that fancy system that makes the door go ding when somebody comes in Topline security am I right so I was caught off guard that two customers had come in without my knowledge I quickly walked up to the register and apologized for the wait as we were making the usual conversation of hey how are you doing and man it's dark out here in this area the customer asked another question that is usually always Asked how long is it until I get to the city from here I answer with the

same answer that seems to automatically live in my mind rentree it's a good couple of hours from here just go towards the lights corny I know but that's my thing anyway after scanning the customer's items which literally were a candy bar and a bottle of water I told them be careful out there y'all there's a tornado warning in this area until 7:00 a.m. and the rain's Starting to pick up I think in this area even on a clear night it is hard to see what is ahead of you on these dark desolate roads as I

went to look at the second customer I realized there was no second customer anymore I chucked up to the guy not wanting to wait any longer and just deciding to leave I mean from what I saw he didn't have any items with him and probably only needed some cigarettes or Something that was behind the counter I told the customer farewell and was ready to grind out the rest of these hours but just like a psychic my own words had foreshadowed my fate for the night not long after the customer left might have been an hour

or so the sky could no longer hold it sorrow and weeped gallons of tears from above now to me this is not a big deal bad weather rain o possums yeah I still have it out for those little Buggers all of these things happen a lot in my area so much so that I call the experience hwa which stands for humid wet and annoying as the rain and wind picked up I was starting to feel a little uneasy mostly because honestly I would rather be at my house when the rain and wind decide to battle

for dominance with that being said the inevitable happened the power lines were no match for the Relentless punishment From the elements and then Darkness silence aggravation the power had gone and there was no backup generator for me I was just there standing in a blank inet of Darkness so thick that it seemed to cover everyone in its Embrace I called my manager to let him know that the power had gone out and also ask him what I should do now of course with it being so late or early I guess whatever 4:00 A.m. whatever it

means to you there was no response from him I thought about locking up and just buckling down at the gas station until the storm passed I was getting paid after all but that's when I heard it between the Thunder between the rain between the wind I heard a slight crunch coming from one of the aisles that was further away from the entrance of the station at first I paid no mind I believed it to just be the store items Shifting with all of this sorrowful weather Darkness has a way of bending your mind into seeing

and hearing things that your mind usually tells you oh that's just the wind but after sitting there for a while upset of course but getting paid I called my manager again to no avail then right after the light of my phone faded and my eyes were trying to accommodate the darkness I heard it Again movement but this time closer and right in between my phone call and a thunder strike so now I'm on high alert someone is in here with me I'm not alone I just knew it I tried to calm my nerves not wanting

to be that guy that overreacts but I asked myself can you ever really be too safe I made a potentially dangerous and thoughtless move I stood up and Yelled is anybody still in here I got no response but that didn't mean that there was no one there the air felt thick from the humidity not just that though the feeling you get when you are not alone the feeling of being you guessed it watched as cliche as it sounds then I remembered something that I knew all along there is no ding on the door to let

me know when customers enter nor Exit that and the thought of the second customer came to mind I never saw him leave I just knew that he was there and then gone I automatically without a doubt felt that something was strange something was not right so I did what any gas station worker would do in the pitch black pretended to be a ninja so that I could slowly make my way to the source of the noise without being caught as it turns out I'm not a ninja The moment I stepped out from behind the counter

that I had been sitting behind a voice stopped me in my tracks give me what you got was all the void softly spoke to me I froze scared too scared to say a word nor move an inch when I called out I wasn't truly expecting a response soon I heard footsteps slow but getting Clos sir my mind yelled do something run charge at the Sound and hope for the best after all of that I did nothing then his face appeared a face hard to make out in the dark a face that I would not have

seen if my manager hadn't called me back at that moment that allowed my phone to light up the second customer it turns out he never left I pretended not to see nor know that I recognized him again he repeated come on give me what you got Now still in a calm and calculating way I spoke for the first time after noticing that I was holding my breath this whole time all I have is $250 in the register he was quiet for a while and then told me give it over I wish that I could say

that I pulled out some special move that brought the guy down that allowed me to hold him until the police showed up but This is real life I gave him the money and luckily for me he accepted it he knew that police would not be out here in these parts at this time and with this weather even if I called it would take them at least 30 minutes to get there a local I assumed had to be to be so confident I talked to the manager and the police after all was said and done my

manager apologized that I had to go Through that and also was sorry that he didn't answer the phone sooner I told him it's no worries everyone deserves sleep I got to leave early and the manager closed the store for a couple of hours until the next employee came in I was so lost in the trance after the situation that I truly believed that it still couldn't be real that couldn't have just happened to me after the couple of years working There and that was that I thought a funny plot twist 2 weeks later A man

was caught trying to hold up a gas station close to where my job was located a man that I remembered from that flash of light on my phone the only difference is he didn't get away this this time the only thing I can really say that I've learned from all of this no matter how comfortable or how much you think you know each day will play out Always be on your [Applause] guard my wife is a real estate agent and a few years back things changed drastically for her she landed her first client that would

have her list their house and it was also someone that we knew we didn't know them that well but we knew them through the church that we were going to at the time and so when it came up that my wife was doing real estate this person asked her if she Could sell her house for her the homeowner needed to move as her husband had recently passed away it took a little bit but my wife was at the point of hosting the first open house on the listing she would have two back-to-back open houses the

First on Saturday and the next the following day to give potential buyers more opportunity to view the house the first day went well with a good showing from prospective Shoppers it was the second day that things took a turn it was nearly the end of the scheduled period for openhouse visitors and so my wife began doing the rounds to turn off the lights and check over the house however two men entered the home and my wife went to greet them as she heard the door the two men said they lived on the street and came

to look at the house as they had never been inside before my wife was willing to let as Many potential buyers look around as it was her first listing and she was appropriately eager the men said they were friends but only offered their first names one of them didn't engage much and quickly went into another room while the other man got closer to my wife asking questions that finally started to make her realize something was off she was alone in the house now with these two men one of them continuing to get closer and Closer

to her asking her questions like how long have you been doing real estate I never met the owners of the house were they nice do you live close to here my my wife was trying her best not to display her nervousness and gave short answers to these questions she knew that these men were obviously not here because they were interested in purchasing the home so she let them know that the open house was over and she's locking up because the Owner is coming back any minute this was not actually true the owner wasn't staying here

anymore but she had to say something to get these men to leave at this point she was backed into a corner of the kitchen with this 6-foot man in her way deflating any hope of being able to run out of the house to make things worse she didn't even have her phone on her it was on the dining room table with her bag and listing sheets which for all she knew was now in The possession of the other man who had walked off at first the man didn't seem to care about what she said about

needing to lock up and the owner coming home he responded it's okay if we just take another minute to look around right but he was never looking around in the first place at this time the other man came into the kitchen and joined his friend my wife's anxiety is so high she's about to start screaming and she gives one more Request I'm sorry but we have to leave as the owner's coming home the two men don't respond initially but then exchange a look and say okay thanks for your time and leave the house my wife

bolts to the door and locks it and then goes into the dining room to watch them through the window all of her belongings were still there so when she saw that they walked far enough away and she could run to her car she grabbed her things and did just That she even left the lights on but she didn't care in her car she had no idea where these men went she couldn't see them and didn't care to stick around long enough to find them she just drove away after hearing about this we always made sure

there was another person at viewings with her to this day I still go with her when she's meeting new clients looking back it was a reckless thing to do hosting an open house all Alone in a neighborhood you are not that familiar with she told the owner about the situation and the owner after hearing a description of these men stated that she had never seen them before and had no idea who they were take care when you were doing your job whatever it may be after that situation I made sure my wife's phone was set

up to do emergency alerts and she now never leaves her phone Out Of Reach even if she has to Hold it if possible have someone there to watch your back you never know when some creeps are going to scare the life out of you or God forbid something [Applause] worse this story happened in South Lake Tahoe California about 7 years ago I grew up in Northern California and since I was a kid me and my family family always visited Tahoe I was very Fortunate and grateful because my grandparents on my dad's side owned a cabin

there this will seem random but it's important to have this context my parents ended up divorcing when I was about 12 years old and when this story takes place I was probably around the age of 14 anyway this was one of the first times since the divorce that my mom wanted to visit Tahoe but she didn't want to stay at the family cabin because It was connected with my dad she ended up having a stay at the Harvey Hotel and Casino I thought it would be a fun adventure outside from what I had known up

until that point which was that we would always stay at the cabin whenever we visited Tahoe it was just me and my mom having some nice motherdaughter time for the whole trip I don't remember much other than this incident my mom ended up taking me to The local TJ Maxx and we got some new clothes we drive back to the Harvey's hotel and go back to our room now if I'm remembering correctly we weren't on the top floor or the bottom floor I want to say we were on like the 10th floor I specifically remember

no one being in the elevator with us on our way to the room as we were unloading our new clothes we just bought I'm standing near the hotel door Snapchatting one of my Friends when I hear the door knob start to slightly move meanwhile I have my mom in the back of the room on her bed yapping away like she always does she's very talkative I remember zoning out and focusing on the door I very quietly and carefully looked through the peephole to see a grown man probably in his early 30s with a black hoodie

on trying to open our hotel room door there's always that side of us Humans that likes to try and rationalize things into a better light and I was doing just that trying to rationalize that maybe he just has the wrong room or something even though clearly he did have bad intentions his demeanor said it all he kept looking over his shoulders which sent chills down my spine the way he was slowly twisting the knob freaked me out too it was very intentional in the way to not alert anyone inside I told my mom to be

quiet and at first She didn't understand why once I gestured to the door looking like I had seen a ghost she looked in the peephole and saw him I'm not sure what made him stop trying to get into our room but one moment he was there and the next he was gone my mom ended up calling the hotel security they sent out Security on our level but he was long gone by then me and my mom reflected on what could have happened trying to cope with what just went down the conclusion my mom came up

With was that he followed us either from the parking lot of the hotel or within the casino then to our room when I think about it I know it doesn't make much sense because how would he know which floor we were on if he did follow us from the lobby I swear there was no one in the elevator or even on our floor when we got out of it I could be wrong with how I remember it about being alone in the Elevator and the floor but I really don't think so I hope I am

wrong in a way because the alternative is that this man also could have been watching us before this incident even took place he had to have known it was just me and my mom I don't think anyone would be stupid enough to try that if my dad or brother were with us it's scary to think what could have happened if he somehow did get into our Room this story is definitely ingrained into my head and even after all this took place me and my mom ended up staying in the same room for that night I

can tell you though I didn't sleep much that [Applause] night my family immigrated to Germany in the 70s a lot of workers were needed then but many locals didn't like the fact that with the immigrant workers also came immigrant Families my parents both worked shifts at factories which did not leave any time for my upbringing in those days this meant that most children were sent back to the grandparents in our native land but my mother herself having been forced to live without her parents for a while did not want her child to grow up like

that instead she insisted that I get a nanny her name was Gand she was a nice older German lady with three daughters of her Own all grown up now and only the youngest one around 19 still living with them I rarely ever saw her though since she was a university student at the time they lived in a nice little house at the outskirts of town on a hill with lots of wood and farmlands I loved it there and I got to see my parents every week at least 2 days on the weekends this all seems

to be a lot of background information but it is Important to understand what came next the area where my nanny lived did have two more houses close by and then there were some farm houses further away one was our direct neighbor a nice German family with a teenage son who sometimes played badminton with me and then there was a huge old mansion that always looked like a castle to me it was further down the hill and surrounded by some wooden area and high fence was built all around it whenever We left the hill or returned

we had to pass this building and I always wondered who lived there but I never saw anyone and Gand never talked about them she was otherwise a very talkative Lively person so that's why it seemed odd to me I was never too curious I kept happily playing alone or with the neighbor's boy or the neighbor cats until one evening Gand dressed me in my finest dress and to my surprise we went to the mansion there was a big party lots of People and fine dresses and expensive looking suits tables were full of foods I have

never seen before and the house although huge on the the outside seemed even bigger from the inside while I tried to find Gand whom I lost sight of after she left for the bathroom two very big white dogs patted into the dining room where I was sitting I have had some bad encounters with big dogs so those two scared me Senseless but I did not want to scream and embarrass Gand so I backed up trying to get away from them quietly this scene te to spark their interest in me however so I ended up having

to run from them room to room until I was cornered I am sure that they never had any bad intentions towards me and only wanted to play but I was so scared I silently began to cry at that moment a Young girl appeared behind the dogs I still remember her clear as day although this happened more than two decades ago she was around eight or nine maybe a little older than me at the time she had short dark blonde hair up to her chin with a fringe which was slightly curled her eyes were Brown and

she was very pale on the other hand was quite dark the girl called to the dogs and both left the room obediently the relief I felt is hard to Explain I wanted to thank her but she had already turned and left before I could I started running after her when I was suddenly stopped by some old German man I vaguely could identify as the host of the party and beside him his wife I don't remember their faces but I do remember they did not like me being there practically radiating a form of hostility I could

not understand there was some heated discussion with my nanny then she took my hand and we left she Was mumbling angrily about their Behavior while returning to our home I looked behind me while we walked and sure enough the girl was standing at one of the windows one hand pressed against it smiling I smiled back at her and asked Gand if she thought they would let me play with the young girl from the party sometime this made her stop and look at me eyebrows furrowed in obvious confusion what girl she asked there was No other

girl your age I relayed to her what happened before the couples had stopped me so rudely but the furrows between her brows only deepened we continued walking and I had only just started thinking that the conversation was over when she suddenly said no child I think you're mistaken there was no other girl in fact it seems children were not invited to this event she added a grim note in her Tone there was not much I could counter I was raised not to argue with Elders I never saw the girl again even though I scanned the

windows carefully every time we passed the building after all these years I'm asking myself if my brain had made her up or if I did encounter the helpless ghost of a little girl that at one point had lived and died in that house some things we ought to never find out and I am okay with That so this happened around 7 to 8 years ago when I was around 14 or 15 years old I recently started hanging out with a newly made friend who was one year older than me and for anonymity sake I'm only

going to call him C since we aren't in contact anymore we didn't have any sort of falling out because of the story you were about to hear we just grew apart over the years it just happens in life I just started smoking which had become a Problem in my life later on but that's not what this is about I know very dumb teenage habit but I quit years ago but during my teenage years it was although bad a way for me to take my mind off of dumb little problems so we smoked in the park

we had great laughs and were just messing around as the evening slowly faded into darkness the people around us started heading home but not us this park is fairly large and we were Surrounded by bushes trees empty becoming benches and now unused bike trails right right next to us sat this giant Tower in German called the Flack Tower which simply explained means air bombs Defender Tower it was used during the second world war too so as you can guess defend Nazi Germany Austria from the bombs of the Allies this already sat quite an eerie atmosphere

as we sat right next to this historical landmark which now while I'm writing this I am Ashamed to have consumed drugs right next to this death causing Tower well I was young don't judge me as time went by it had become completely dark out and by this point we had gotten relatively High the moon Shone a dim light on the grass around us making it impossible to see or recognize anything or anyone further than a few meters in eyesight you might ask yourself now why there were no Street lights in such a Huge Park after

the sun went down in a 2 million inhabitants capital city and honestly I felt the same way back then so I asked C dude where are the lights I can't see anything to which he replied the park is closed after 10: p.m. so they shut everything down and locked the park down I felt kind of annoyed that he hadn't told me earlier that we would have to climb up the gates to get get out but quickly my annoyance turned into high Ridden laughter as we joked about smoking the whole night through or spray painting inside

the park just very very dumb 14-year-old teenage humor our stoned giggling would very soon come to an unnerving end I lit up a cigarette and blew the smoke in the warm summer night Breeze still sitting on the only used bench of the whole park while C sat before me jamming to music and contemplating on whether smoking another joint or resting his ey Shortly he chose doing the first the next part will sound extremely ridiculous but I swear this is how it happened word for word so as he rolled up the joint we started to hear

rustling in the bushes nearby at first we didn't really take up on it but as the sound continuously had gotten louder our eyes were locked on to say Bush we didn't move an inch we just sat there quietly curiously awaiting to see If there were any Foxes or any other animal messing around but what came next shook us to the bones as the rustling started up again a gigantic man crawled forward out of the Bush wearing only what looked like hospital patients clothing he didn't speak as he came into our eyesight under the very dim

Moonlight he slowly got up from the ground and as he fully emerged we first Were really able to recognize his height this man was for sure above 2 m tall standing Barefoot on the grass and he looked like he had been clean shaven on every single inch of his body except for his bushy eyebrows he stared down my friend expressionless showing no emotion behind his pale wide eyes just simply locking his eyes on C whose face had turned ghostly white by this point he looked like he had forgotten everything around Him except for this man

in front of us the paper and filter still in his hand sea was shaking so hard the tobacco fell onto his trembling legs we were frozen by the sight of the deranged looking man resting his widespread legs like rocks on the ground Shivers went down on my spine as he creepily greeted us with a Hello that sounded like he had tried to imitate your friendly nextdoor neighbor we didn't reply back both feeling glued to our seats filled with fear on what to Do next but what really happened next I could have never imagined I hope

I looked up the correct translation for this word this man wearing only hospital patients clothing clean shaven more than 2 m tall did a rolly poly like a forward roll that young kids do yes this insane man did a rly poly to move forward to us he now stood directly in front of us and as I said before I had been scared I for sure was now a Million times more the adrenaline levels in my body spiked to a high that I've never felt before he grimly stared down at us again greeting us with this

creepy hello we didn't know what to do for sure we could have tried to run away as fast as our bodies would have allowed us to but this massive man baby who clearly suffered from some kind of mental disorder would have outrun us in a few Seconds with his giant legs so we just kept on sitting scared to the core not saying a word not knowing what would happen next and Frozen in fear only knowing we would have to get through this together this happened like 2 and 1/2 years ago for context I was in

the military and lived in the barracks at the time the barracks used to be a hospital way back when and many people Have had paranormal experiences including my roommates and I on more than one occasion ironically all of this happened on Friday the 13th the whole day was wild so I'll just start with the first weird thing that happened my roommates and I had this tradition of always going out to eat on Friday this Friday it was pouring rain and we went to eat downtown at a regular random restaurant the second we walked in we

just felt so Out of place we were sitting waiting a long time for a waiter to talk to us until finally he came and he was beyond creepy he seemed almost nonhuman he grinned very creepily the whole time moved around and talked like a robot halfway through our meal I noticed every single person in the restaurant was wearing the same exact shade of blue all the men had a blue button up and every woman had on the same blue dress I Pointed this out to my roommate while she also pointed out to me that all

the waiters were standing in the corner of the restaurant staring and smiling at us I had tears in my eyes I was so creeped out we didn't finish our food and we paid and left we also double checked on the website and outside the restaurant to make sure sure there wasn't some event going on or a dress code we got back home to the barracks I called my boyfriend to tell him what Happened when in the middle of my conversation our ironing board fell off the door from The Hanger it was hanging on in the

laundry room it's never done this before and nothing had happened for it to do it this night the way our room was set up is when you walk through the door you have the living room in the Middle with the laundry room on the right the bathroom on the left and our two separate rooms straight in front mine's on the left and hers is on the Right me and my roommate were both sitting in the chairs on the wall near the bathroom it startled us but we didn't think too much of it my roommates and

I decided to head off to bed when about 30 minutes later I heard her open her door and Whisper my name Sarah she whispered softly Sarah she said a little louder I'm sitting in my room thinking why is she Whispering like this I got Out of my bed and opened my door and she screamed dropped to the floor and just started crying Hannah Hannah what is wrong I yelled at her I saw you in the mirror of the bathroom she cried what I was very confused she said it again I just saw you fixing your

hair in the bathroom you know how you usually do and smiling at me in the mirror of the bathroom I looked at the bathroom sure enough the light was on with a door cracked enough So you could see the mirror inside Shivers went down my spine the room was freezing and something felt very off we never left the lights on or the bathroom door opened neither of us had even gone into the bathroom since coming home from dinner I wrapped us up in a blanket and we just left the room and sat in the hallway

for about 30 minutes talking about what had happened from Hannah's perspective she thought I knocked on her door and that's Why she opened her door and when she didn't see me she whispered and then she looked in the bathroom because the light was on and saw me smiling at her through the mirror when I was fixing my hair she said that there was something about the way I looked I looked off and that's why she said my name a second time and then freaked out when I opened my bedroom door I am a 22-year-old male

who happened to end up at the wrong place at The wrong time my best friend lived in a city close enough to where I live so so I used to visit her a lot during the week when I had time off work this one evening I left her house quite late so I was pretty tired when I set off probably shouldn't have set off driving in the first place with me being so fatigued nonetheless I set off home majority of the journey is on the motorway but about 10 minutes into the journey I could feel

my eyes rolling Into the back of my head I needed to pull over I came off the road at the next exit and tried to find somewhere to pull over to possibly have a nap or at least rest I eventually came across a little side road along a country road this road was plunged in darkness with wooded areas on either side with some places on either side of the road to pull up there were some other cars parked here too so I figured this would be a good place to Stop and have a rest so

I did exactly that I I pulled my car to the side of this uneven Road surface and came to a stop turning off my engine and made sure that my doors were locked not long after pulling up and reclining my seat there were a few cars pulling up near me stopping and then driving off again only to return a few moments later I am a car Enthusiast so I know my cars even from just the shape of their Headlights so I could tell it was the same car cars arriving and leaving constantly I was getting

a bit on edge but I was so tired I just tried to ignore it and closed my eyes after about 5 minutes of me laying there in my car I heard a car door open and then close the obvious sound of someone getting out of their car I opened my eyes and glanced up out of the windshield but because there were no street lights on this side road all I Could see was silhouettes of the cars parked near me it was silent the sound of the car door was instantly jarring however after I heard the

car door nothing followed for a few moments so again I closed my eyes and tried to continue my nap but then I heard the unsettling sound of someone's footsteps on gravel like I said this road was silent so this was an undeniable sound the footsteps seemed to be getting louder And closer I once again opened my eyes to see the horrifying silhouette of someone slowly approaching my car to the driver's side my heart instantly began racing I wrapped my hand around my keys which were still dangling in the ignition slot but I was frozen I

did not have the ability to sit up start my engine and race away this person got closer and closer to my car so I did what I thought at the Time was the best idea I turned my head away from the window and pretended to be asleep this person approached my car I heard the footsteps get closer and then stop then my worst fear in that situation I heard them try my door handle a few times then they made their way slowly around the back of my car and tried opening the trunk to no avail

they then continued to the passenger side which was the side my head was Facing I was certain they could not see inside my car but I still opened my eyes the slightest bit to see what was going on all I could see was a man dressed in black with his hood up one hand in his pocket the other trying my passenger door I laid completely still my eyes half closed trying to Fathom what was going on after a few more tries of my door handle he did another walk around my car I could see him

walk past brushing Himself up against my door as he did he then stopped for a second I thought he was about to walk away when he instead began knocking on my window he did this three times my heart began racing even faster as I lay there pretending to be asleep and not hearing it I was certain he was going to try and smash my window but to my surprise he just walked away and got back into his car he turned his headlights on and I realized it was one of the cars that was Driving up

and down the road earlier he angled his headlights directly into my car and through my windshield so I threw myself back down and pretended to be asleep once again again I heard his car set off and very slowly drive past mine almost stopping when he got right next to me this whole experience filled me with fear and adrenaline to the point of being wide awake so as soon as I saw his car disappear I started my ignition and Got out of there I drove straight home and had one of the most restless nights of sleep

ever I never drove down that road again even during the day if you're tired and you need to drive somewhere just don't at all costs just don't at least stop at a service station that is well lit and please lock your car doors I don't even want to begin to imagine what would have happened to me if one of my doors was unlocked that Night [Applause] the story I'm about to share takes place on two different occasions my grandparents live in rural Southern Ohio near the edge of the Appalachian Trail it's very vital to describe

the layout of my grandparents property for everyone to understand this story my grandparents house sits on 5 surrounded by thick wooded areas on the property there are seven Different trails that lead you all around my grandparents house that we usually use for hunting one day my brother and I decided to walk to the trails we enjoyed riding four-wheelers and taking in the scenery my grandparents secluded property the trail we were on splits into two other Trails the trail to the left Loops you back around to the house and the other trail to the right right

takes you down to the creek where you can sit and watch All kinds of wildlife my brother and I decided we wanted to go down to the creek and watch for Animals while also looking for cool rocks that I loved to collect at the time at the split the only way to get down to the creek is to walk as the four-wheeler is too big to fit through all of the thick brush and trees on that specific Trail so we ditched the four-wheeler and took off on foot the Trail down to the creek is about

a mile Long the Sun was shining through the trees and it was a crisp fall evening where there was a slight breeze my brother and I goofed off until we finally made it to the creek we walked alongside the water for maybe 15 minutes looking for cool rocks as I said before as we are walking we stumble across a broken down shed that both my brother and I had never seen it is important to mention that my grandparents property has markers Letting everyone know where their property begins and ends standing on the left side of

the creek the shed was on the opposite side my brother and I kind of looked at each other with confused looks but eventually my brother got distracted by something else and continued his walk down the creek but not me I felt myself fall into some sort of Trance I felt as if I needed to go Inside I yell for my brother to come back I said Jay I think we should check this out some more something inside me really wants to go inside my brother has never been a fan of anything remotely scary seeing this

rundown shed that looked to be falling apart did not interest him in the slightest my brother responded this is one of those situations in a scary movie where the people should have just minded their Business and you are not going in there I kind of chuckled because he was right something was telling me to go in there but I also knew it probably wasn't the best idea as the sun was starting to set my brother and I collected our Rock findings and headed back to the house this next part happened the following weekend my boyfriend

at the time came out to visit while he was there I had mentioned the fact that my brother and I had stumbled across a Creepy shed that was on the property that we had never seen before he became extremely interested as I described the feeling I had of wanting to go inside I told him how compelled I was to the building that's all it took before we were out the door and making our way back down to the creek my brother stayed behind saying if you guys don't come back I Told You So my ex-boy

friend and I laugh like yeah right with us we had overalls and Flashlights as we didn't take the four-wheeler and decided to just walk the whole way down we had flashlights due to the fact that when we left we knew we had only about 2 hours until the sun went down eventually we make it down to the creek we walk the same way that my brother and I had the week previous and to my shock and disbelief the shed was was no longer there I start frantically looking around Saying what how it was right here

my ex-boyfriend and I decide to walk a little bit further down venturing further and further away from my grandparents house still no sign of the shed we hadn't realized how long we were out there the sun maybe had 15 more minutes of light left for the day I was so determined to prove myself right that I had seen this shed with my own two eyes we pull out our flash lights and jump across the bank to the other side Of the creek and begin walking back the way we came I was hoping that I had

just missed on the way down as my ex and I were talking the sun was completely down at this point as we were walking and talking my ex Falls silent we were in mid conversation so when I hear him stop dead in his tracks I do the same I start asking what's wrong what he said next sent chills down my Spine I want you to listen to me very carefully when I count to three we are going to jump to the other side and we are going to run as fast as we can don't say

anything don't turn around Don't Look Back My Heart Falls to my stomach and in that moment I didn't question him I just prepared myself to run one 2 3 we sprinted as fast as we could I Was in front of my ex and I could hear him wincing in pain but I heard more than just our running something was right behind us we ditched the whole idea of running a mile all the way back to the trail and decided to make a run for it straight through the woods when we made it back to the

house we were gasping for air and covered in scratches from running through thick brush we walked through the front door and I was in shock to the Point where I could not answer my grandma's questions my ex-boyfriend was gripping at his back and wincing in pain my grandma lifted his shirt to look at it three long scratches stemming from his shoulder to his lower back he had seen something in those woods that night and whatever it was chased us all the way back to the house leaving me in a shocked State and my ex-boyfriend with

three scratch marks from whatever it Was don't go looking for something you don't want to find and if anyone knows what this could have been please let me know this occurrence still keeps me up at night [Applause] this took place around the fall of 2020 around late October one night three of my friends and I Nate Charlie and Jordan decided to meet up at a local park around midnight just located within my friend Jordan's Neighborhood to have one of our Relentless hot boxing smoke sessions since this was our senior year of high school and with

the pandemic and political animosity going on at the time like many other kids we were basically stuck at home for the most part attending online classes and barely getting out of our houses since most public places were closed because of this we all ended up smoking to kill time so having these Hot Box sessions wasn't anything new to us since we've been smoking since August of that same year I recently stopped smoking altogether due to unrelated issues but I dig back to the story about an hour after our smoke session the four of us reluctantly

agreed to start driving out of the park and around town for a while with my friend Jordan being the driver Nate in the front passenger seat With Charlie and I in the back 20 minutes into our Drive being the intoxicated idiots that we were having the windows cracked we decided to put on Dead Space Ambience music as we were making our way out of a residential area and onto a two- Main road that led out into the rural part of town to give you an idea of the scenery we were driving through one of those

semi- rural suburban neighborhoods you would find in the middle of Nowhere for those of you that live in the rural south or the Midwest you know what I'm talking about since it was completely pitch black and we were practically in the middle of nowhere bumping creepy ambient music while approaching a dimly lit intersection it began to give off an eerie Lial vibe that was kind of fitting for the season as we approached the intersection my mind began to Green out and race about the unknown Beyond The Darkness that Enshrined our surroundings it would be terrifying

if we found a humanoid like a wind too or something right now at that point we had reached the intersection and since I was looking to my left I immediately noticed a figure emerging out of the pitch black as the figure got under the street light I realized that what I was looking at was a woman in pigtails dressed in a really classy clean outfit with a tan Blouse and high heels I instinctively sobered up and took this as a bad sign from all the stories I've heard and just knew something was wrong because who

would be out here at 1:00 a.m. in a classy outfit in the middle of nowhere in a matter of seconds my worst fear came to life as this woman began to approach the car and I really didn't want any of us taking any chances with this woman I started to freak out and Told my buddy Jordan there's a woman coming turn the car now our friend Nate noticed a second figure dressed in all black slowly emerged from the rear end of the car just about 15 ft away from our right side slowly approaching this only

instilled more fear in all of us about the situation Charlie instantly caught on and saw what we were seeing as this woman practically began running at us screaming please stop help me Charlie Then began aggressively slapping Jordan's shoulder in a panic shouting Jordan turn the car now Jordan still zooted off the weed was confused for a split second before he saw that this woman and the Man in Black were mere feet from the car in a panic he yelled oh my God he peeled out to the right and in the opposite direction from where this

woman and the man came running from we all sobered up a bit being so creeped out and confused as to what just Happened but we laughed it off because of how intoxicated we all still were needless to say we still question why the woman was running at us screaming and what exactly the intentions were from both of them especially the man dressed in all black behind the car my morbid curiosity gets the better of me sometimes and I would like some theories as to what could have happened to all four of us during that Night

let me know in the comments [Applause] below I was around 14 years old when it happened for context I was quite introverted and selective about who I get close to me as a teen I'm still that way even as an adult I had made a small number of friends despite my reserved stance two of whom are my dearest friends to this day I did my best in school and participated in a couple after school clubs which allowed me to Delve further into my interests and hobbies though I also spent a decent amount of time on

social media I was well behaved and made a lot of smart choices during my teen years thankfully due to being raised right by my mother who did her best to steer me in the right direction however here is where I stood out I was alternative goth punk rock whatever you want to call it and I've always had an affinity for The Morbid Paranormal and darker subjects which reflected in the way I dressed the music I would listen to the books I would read TV shows and YouTube videos that I would watch some people found me

in my interests to be weird or quote unquote of the devil one of these main people who would insist on such things was my grandmother whom we'll call Gail for privacy sake she would take every opportunity to criticize the music I listen to my clothes and me in general You would think that she was some sort of religious fanatic doing her due diligence to help bring a heathen grandchild closer to God but no Grandma Gail isn't religious by any means you would barely hear her speak of God or religion and she has never stepped foot

inside of a church for Sunday service whereas I believed in God and had a personal relationship with him despite not being religious or attending church Myself Grandma Gail dabbles in witchcraft a person who engaged in occult practices something I never wanted to get into judging a teen goth for her style interests talk about hypocrisy anyway there was always something unsettling about Gail something that teetered on the edge of downright Sinister on top of being being severely judgmental and self-righteous she isn't the easiest of people to get along with She has a knack of taunting people

with her words using things people have told her against them and just being downright rude and unprovoked but I and a few others have grown accustomed to it and have learned to work around her mood changes I can recall a time when I was only four playing with a couple of Barbie dolls in the kitchen mind you I wasn't making a ton of noise at least that I can remember but at one Point I must have gotten a little loud unintentionally because she rushed into the kitchen with this Stern yet calm look on her face

which made me feel uneasy as I looked up at her from the floor still holding my dolls in this eerily relaxed tone of voice she said to me Darla not my actual name if you don't stop making noise I'm going to send something your way tonight your mama won't be able to hear your Screams she won't even be able to save you it'll Fly Away with you and take you for punishment where I wanted to ask but I was too nonplused to speak fear didn't hit me surprisingly I was more nonplused than anything because nothing

along those lines had been said to me before I stared back my mouth probably nearly hitting the floor as my 4-year-old brain tried to process what she had just said To me I didn't tell my mom when she came to pick me up as it must have slipped my mind and I chocked it up to her wanting to scare me into being quiet in my late te years and early 20s I noticed pentagrams on various reading materials she had I've witnessed her practicing what I now know to be spells or rituals against those she felt

had wronged her or those she care deeply about she would make a list of said people or have a picture of them and Spit on it only to bury it underground or light it on fire she is also known to collect people's hair and do God only knows what with it I'm pretty sure my name has been on some of those lists a handful of times but nothing ever came of it of course I know God looked out for me each time now on to the sleep paralysis experience during summer vacation I would always be

dropped off at my grandparents home as most kids in my Community were while our parents went to work as per the usual routine I would get up early with my mom and get ready to be dropped off to either get some extra sleep in or watch YouTube on my iPad in the morning while Grandma Gail watched her shows it was during the first or second week of summer break on this particular morning I was extremely tired mainly due to it being that time of the month for me it was extremely sunny out but not Too

hot Once I arrived I shut the door behind me laid my iPad and overnight bag on top of the dresser and got into bed the layout of the guest room was a standard four-walled room it was small about 8X 10 ft with a bed next to the window a small closet in front of it and a small dresser to the right of it the curtains were drawn back allowing sunlight to spill into the room as soon as my head hit the pillow I curled up with my hoodie and fell Asleep I'm not sure how long

I slept all I can remember is that I dreamed that a man was chasing me through the woods he dressed in a raggedy white T-shirt full of holes and tattered jeans as I was trying to hide behind a tree he found me and grabbed my wrist trying to pull me toward him I must have been tossing and turning in my sleep because once my eyes shot open I was staring straight up at the ceiling I tried turning over but my body Wouldn't rather couldn't move I tried to open my mouth and say something but no

words formed not even a sound came from my throat I felt this sudden heaviness in my chest it was a feeling I had never felt before it felt as if a thick dark fog was engulfing me making it difficult to take one slow breath at a time all I could do was lie still despite trying to move my legs arms and head I felt pressure applied to my wrists and ankles As if I were being restrained and then came the blood curdling scream of a woman it sounded as if the scream went directly into my

ear then all I heard next was nothing just complete still silence I spotted a dark shadowy figure hovering over me it was faceless abnormally tall Smoky with human proportioned limbs it lowered its hands to my face causing me to panic I began to cry at least I Felt like I wanted to but no tears fell from my eyes just muffled cries the forboding figure then placed its hands on my mouth and pulled it open one hand pulling at my jaw the other pulling at my upper lip the pain I felt as those cold heavy hands

forced my mouth open was immense the terror I felt now stunted my thoughts As I lie there unable to stop whatever was happening next that's when I began to pray in my Mind no prayer in particular it was just me mentally repeating the words please God help me over and over again just as it pressed its hand over my nose the figure disappeared the heaviness was no longer in the room and I shot straight up as I gasped for breath the sounds of the TV blaring from my grandparents room drowned out my sobs and gasps

as I cradled my knees to my chest trying to catch my breath and gather my Thoughts I could not comprehend what had just happened but I knew it was very much so real I understood why it was called sleep paralysis due to your ability to speak or move being taken away but there was also a paralyzing fear I felt during the episode amplify that fear 10 times I'd experienced episodes where I would be unable to move or speak but there was never a presence that I could see in the room only a feeling of intense

dread and Terror something told me to roll up my shirt sleeve even look at my arm that had been grabbed in my dream once I pulled back the right sleeve of my shirt my heart nearly stopped beating in my chest there was a faint dirt handprint where the man in my dream had grabbed me at this point I began to hyperventilate I called my mom to tell her what happened she said she would call me back when she went somewhere private I assumed the panic and Terror In my shaky voice voice was unmistakable once she

called me back she listened to me without saying anything until I was finished I tried my best to articulate what had just happened through sobs and a hushed voice because I didn't want Grandma Gail to hear me my mom reassured me that she believed everything I had just told her she promised to take me to get ice cream after her shift then she said Do You Remember the Things you told me you saw take place there yes I answered recalling the lists and burning of the names once a door has been opened for such things

to occur all kinds of things can happen there's definitely an evil presence there I'm just so sorry this happened to you she offered to stay on the phone with me as long as I needed but I knew she had work to do and promised to call her again again if I felt the need To needless to say I didn't go back to sleep I'm not even sure if I was able to fall asleep that night in my own home to this day I haven't had a sleep paralysis episode as intense as that one and I've

had a few happen between then and now the strange part is that 99% of the time they happened in that room at my grandparents home the less intense 1% happened in the comfort of my own home I believe ghosts demons and malevolent Spirits exist there was no other Possible logical explanation for how the handprint got on my wrist but I'm certain a demon was in the room with me that morning trying to pray on an innocent teen and God protected me amidst it all that was 14 years ago and I'm still a goth still rock

out to my favorite bands I'm even more fascinated with things people consider morbid and still enjoy a good horror film and mystery novel I'm completing my Mortuary license I get to drive a hearse and dye My hair cool colors and yes my mom and I are still very close and she's very proud of the woman I have become one thing is for certain though there is true evil out there seen and unseen entities That masquerade as humans or spirits that linger waiting for a perfect opportunity to attack or latch onto an unsuspecting host something comforting

to remember is as sure as evil Exists so does good stay safe and Vigilant everyone and be careful what you get into some Curiosities are better off [Applause] unexplored something is going on here my wife and I recently moved to a new area for more work and housing options to suit our family this isn't the first that I've written about this either to make a long story short my family and I have all Been experiencing what seems to be missing time we've been living here for about a year now and we have settled in nicely

aside for the occasional ill just call them bizarre incidents things are fine this all started I'll say about 6 months ago the first time it happened was when my wife and son went for a walk and swore they walked down the street only to end up at the end that they started at they had been out running Errands and had been gone for an hour or two but in my time frame they walked out the door and 5 minutes later came in with arms full of groceries and a weird look on both of their faces

we chocked it up to none of us actually paying attention to the time and left it at that only one day a couple of days later I had something similar happened to me and when I looked back at the road this time it was missing a Section it was weird to say the least but again I dismissed this as just being tired maybe a trick of the light looking back I could not have been more naive what was happening to us would turn out to be very real over the next couple months the same scenario

would play out in the midst of various errands or mundane dat today goings on for days at a time at first it would be normal only to leave in an anxious web of panic And Dread as we seemed to sink into the cracks of a skipping record over and over we would go about the same events stuck in an endless loop with no way of knowing what is happening or how to escape as time went on it became more frequent and thus more and more difficult to judge the measure of time at its best it

was a blip in time a short skip over a fragment of instance along our path through our day-to-day existence at its worst a tirelessly Endlessly cycle of hellish continuity leaving you exhausted and shaken by the time you end up getting out of it this makes it all so much stranger whenever we escape these glitches time trudges on ceaselessly as if it had never faltered and yet you feel like you ran a marathon it is exceedingly difficult for me to try to explain accurately just the other week I made my morning walk down the busy street

and Down to the bus terminal where I would catch my bus for work only to get to the end of the road and be on the other end of where I started again again and again I went through the motions of this morning ritual in a Rondo of absolute Terror and astonishment it would be easy to dismiss walking by identical plumes of grass or a similar maple tree in a town of millions but God only knows how many times I must have walked by the same Thai restaurant before it clicked for me again my heart

fell into my stomach as I realized I was again stuck in whatever this was I still don't understand it it doesn't happen every day day and I can't say that it's ever occurred to me more than once in a day and never to this sort of scale never mind if this is possible if this is the case why what is the function of time if I constantly have to endure such a loop what is Happening in order to cause this in that moment I could feel Panic start to set in as I again felt trapped

in an inescapable prison of Infinite Space and Time I don't know why but when I started to feel my instincts swell up to the surface I just started running it isn't like I was running out of time I ran for my life as I was trying in vain to break a record like a horse with blinders bouldering down the Road trying desperately to escape what spooked it around the bend and through the city blocks of established and once established small businesses marked with thin canopies of young Native saplings in the many parkettes lining the dying

burrow through which I commute I ran straight through to the bus station as if nothing could impede me ahead of me I could see the downtown core buses turning off and on the turnout into the Bus terminal a low-flying Jet Plane passes above the hustle and bustle of the city ahead of me I near the entrance of the bus terminal quickly making my way towards the crossing between me and the glass door to the lobby my heart is pounding in my chest to the point where I think it's going to burst I can barely see

sweat dripping out of every pore of my body carrying the salt from my brow into every corner of my eyes as I vaulted up off the Street and onto the crosswalk I looked up and met the glance of a wiry old man staring up at me from the bench in the terminal on the other side of the glass I looked down and as my feet met the ground I unstepped and toppled face first and slid on my arms tucked into my chest colliding into the brick of the bus terminal wall just next to the door

I felt a jolt and a sharp crack as my head hit the wall everything spun around me as the Darkness in my head bruised with an aura of brilliant color I felt heavy as I lurched over onto my side and a days and with my eyes still closed I could tell that I was bleeding pretty badly my head throbbed as the jagged shards of rock and broken glass bore into my arms from the weight of my body pressing down warm blood mixing with the silt of my sweat and the dusty pavement as I struggled to

make sense of my surroundings I threw an arm up and Managed to grab hold of the ledge of the window above and pull myself up to lean against the brick I opened my eyes and in a blur I made out the streets around me the bright light of the sun cutting through the haze of my vision as it all came into Focus again I realized the hustle and bustle was gone there wasn't a soul around for Miles save for mine at least out here my stomach churned as I closed my eyes and My head fell

back to meet the cold wall behind me with my eyes closed everything began to spin again and I was met with an overwhelming urge to sleep as I tried to pull myself out of it I heard the door behind me swing open and a staggered shuffling with the distinct clatter of a walking stick it must have been the old man that I saw that was some show I heard the old man say as I lay in my days I willed myself to perk up and opened my eyes to meet the old man's face above me

nobody as I sat up my stomach hit the roof of my mouth and I keeled over to the side to vomit as my stomach wretched while I sit crouched over myself panting the digital bell tone sounded on the hour as the midday Sun met me from behind the tall buildings above me the sun I thought to myself It's moving as I slowly started to realize what this meant a flock of pigeons swoops in cooing to land at the platform the passive Whispering of distant traffic slowly begins to reenter my periphery it's over addled and exhausted

to my core I made the wise choice to head back to my place and call in sick for the day there was no way I was going to put in a day of work after that needless to say I was Also covered in blood and scrapes up and down my forearms and likely had a head injury that needed medical attention my wife at work my kids at school and daycare I went up to the hospital myself and ended up getting treated for a moderate concussion I spent the rest of the week resting and trying to

get over what happened to me over the course of that morning still I never told a soul not even my wife but I know for a fact she knows she has to at this point we both experience these things regularly and there's no denying she's acutely aware of the severity of this particular time silence speaks countless words in this house we don't have to say a word I began working weekly at my local bar about 6 months ago it's an old cozy little Pub think carpeted floor that Old Pub scent little Irish trinkets Everywhere and

a few Guinness drinkers lining the bar every night there is an older clientele in the bar I get to control the music on my shift and there is always a pleasant friendly atmosphere it also pays very well and I enjoy the banter with the locals and the odd tourists who might wander in from a nearby Hotel being such an old building when you are closing up on your own at the end of a shift a deep sense of unease tends to creep in what was a fun Place to be with music and Lively chatter swiftly

became full of Shadows and creepiness first the lights are Switched Off in the beer garden and the customer bathrooms no big deal then the lights in the lounge behind the main bar are to be switched off right before you leave the building last night this is the part of the closing shift where it all started to go downhill I lifted the used beer mats from the tables before wiping them Down I had already switched the music off and the silence was unnatural to my ears after eight solid hours of 70s and 8s Tunes being played

at a decent volume Gathering the beer mats in my cleaning supplies I turned to head to the main bar I flicked the light switch to off and on and in the time it took for me to walk down the two steps I heard someone behind me someone very clearly and very definitely cleared their throat immediately I was frozen my Legs refused to work I knew the bar was completely empty and had been for the last 15 minutes or so I also knew that I had checked the bathrooms and it had been raining profusely all evening

so the beer garden didn't have a single Patron all night so there was zero chance of someone still lurking around after hours I knew I had to turn to take a look but I really really felt as though my heart had fallen directly into my stomach my skin felt as though it was Crawling with nerves and I just knew that whatever made that sound from behind me had bad intentions still I put down the spray bottle of disinfectant and slowly turned to face the lounge there in the dark in a chair was a lady who

absolutely had not been a customer of mine all evening even in the dark and in the shadows of the room I could make out that she was extremely thin and gone In her advancing years her eyes seemed to Glow at me with all I can describe as absolute hatred I could sense the anger radiating from her and it terrified me I began to shake with fear and the beer mats in my hand landed on the floor I managed to squeak out a very shaky hello in response I got an i rate sounding moan and grunt

not like the moans and groans from someone who had perhaps taken a little bit too much from The top shelf and wanted to be left to sleep it off in the corner of the bar rather this was the sound of someone who couldn't speak but wanted to convey their outrage hello I'm sorry but it's time to go home do you have a ride or I can call someone for you this was a silly thing for me to say but I didn't know else what to say I began to doubt myself did I miss this person

somewhere had she been passed out in the corner by chance And I never noticed but deep down I knew I knew that this was Mrs Taylor Mrs Taylor had been the pub land lady a long long time ago about 50 years ago and she was a Hardline Lady by all accounts if she didn't like or trust you she didn't want you anywhere near the place she hated other women women with a burning passion and she wouldn't allow any females into the bar without a male chaperon me a single 20-some year-old who enjoyed the odd glass

of wine and a Shot of tequila and was into hard rock music most assuredly wouldn't have been allowed to set foot into this bar there had been stories of the place being haunted and previous Barm Maids being scared out of their wits by ghostly movements but I had always Shrugged it off as nonsense I took a step back when I got no response the person I assumed to be Mrs Taylor began to move she placed a bony hand on the arm of the chair and Rose up In a surprisingly speedy and Youthful way she began

towards me letting out the most foul high-pitched and intense scream I had ever heard like the sound one would imagine the Banshee gave out I lost it I turned on my heels and ran for the main door I left my bag on the counter and ran for my life completely forgetting about anything else the only good thing is that the main door locks behind you so there was no need to lock it up I don't know why she appeared to Me and I don't know how I will face going back there for my shift in

3 days time how do I explain all this to the boss without sounding absolutely crazy wish me luck [Applause] this was a handful of years ago I was a new mother and home with my firstborn child he was a couple of weeks old and it came time for me to get an oil change and a tire rotation from my car instead of sitting in the dealership waiting Room for an hour plus I figured this would be a good opportunity to walk around this Arboretum that wasn't too far away I have been to the Arboretum a

handful of times before but this time I noticed a sign for Patriots path this is a paved trail that extends 35 Mi throughout the county the trails are broken down into segments as they are separated by roadways or neighborhoods I would frequent other parts of the path and never felt Uncomfortable in fact it was a nice way to feel connected to Nature while sometimes encountering other people exercising and doing the same without hesitation I decided to walk the path to kill time I was excited to explore this new to me trail first the path cut

through the tall grasses then it curved and increasingly became more of a wooded area this wasn't concerning to me as all the other parts of the trail that I have Walked on were exclusively in the woods as I was pushing my newborn in a stroller and enjoying my time in nature I came to a fork in the path the other parts of the trail I have been on was always one path no Forks the right path was on higher ground so I headed that way as I was going the path was getting increasingly difficult for

the stroller tree roots broke through the path and it was a rough ride for my baby I I wasn't able to keep the pace I was going since I was going significantly slower I looked on my map to see if it included the path and where it would bring us on the map the left side of the fork traveled along a Waterway so I decided to try that route as I was turning around I saw a man well-dressed slowly strolling towards us I got the stroller free from the tree roots and started towards him he

had his phone up to his face as if he was on a phone call but he wasn't Talking we got closer I looked at him to give a friendly nod as I usually do when passing other people he just looked Straight Ahead expressionless when I was processing that interaction my gut told me something was wrong he was wearing an outfit that I could best describe as business casual most people on the trails are an exercise clo clothes he wasn't talking at all on his phone that he was holding Up to his ear and the other

hand he was concealing it he had it in a rigid position behind his back as if he was carrying something that he didn't want me to see I turned to walk the other path of the fork and convinced myself I was just imagining things after some more walking I heard the sound of babbling water according to my map app on my phone I thought I should be able to see The Waterway by now and the path should open up to a parking lot I felt like I should see the parking lot by now when I

tried opening the map again my phone wasn't working I was in the woods alone with my baby with no phone access and I just had a strange interaction it was time to turn around and head out of these Woods much to my dismay there was the man again his face still Expressionless his phone still up to his ear he was still not talking and his other hand was still hiding behind his back I felt my heart sink into my stomach and my stomach jump into my throat why did he turn around on the first part

of the path why didn't he turn at the fork he was close enough to us for me to realize that he must have turned around soon after we did he must have seen us turn down the other path at the Fork all the alarms in my body were ringing get out of here when we needed to pass him I started to jog hey I'm wearing the appropriate outfit for a trail that most people used for exercise right maybe my intention was to jog this whole time I didn't stop jogging until I was out of the

woods and into the Tall Grass I turned to look behind me and luckily my son and I were alone again I jogged some more until there was a large Distance between us and the trail we waited in the dealership waiting room for the rest of the time they were working on my car I did go back to the Arboretum after that but I haven't ventured down that section of the trail ever again now maybe this was just a regular businessman nothing happened between me and this man and maybe nothing was going to happen but Personally

I would rather go for an unplanned jog then ignore my gut instinct and find [Applause] out I would like to start off by saying I don't know what I have gone through I still question myself what I have been through that night until this day my mind is still hazy and has a lot of unanswered questions but I guess I will never figure that out will I I live in India for more specifics I live in West Bengal I'm not going to share in which part of West Bengal I live because I don't want people

hunting stuff down this case was not very newsworthy anyway none except the neighbor of the apartment complex know about this in West Bengal the coming of autumn is marked by a festival called Durga Puja there are 10 days where we celebrate the coming of Autumn and it's the season where we worship the mother of all the idols in the Hindu religion Durga more Famously in India known as Maad Durga I remember me and my family being super excited and we were to celebrate these 10 days with no studying just enjoying ourselves thoroughly since it's the

only time in a year where we can relax on the seventh day of Durga Puja my mother wasn't really satisfied with the enjoyment we had in our complex so I proposed that we could go outside and watch the other pandals which are clothed temples with bamboos made for The idol to be placed there for 10 days we set out at 12:00 midnight this was the time when people came out to see the pandals since they could get really crowded with people in the evening plus we didn't want to miss our complex functions we set out

in our car and went to different places enjoying stuff it was around 2:00 in the morning when we entered through the gate of our apartment I would like to avoid the Confusion that no such security guard remained under every Tower after midnight all of them are out of order except for three guards who would be sitting out dozing off not doing their job at the main entrance of the gate we did have really good security but after midnight everything just gets loose we entered the main gate to be shooted off by two guards sleepily suddenly

out of the corner of my eye I see a man an elderly man who Was kind of scrawny I had a bad hunch on seeing him because his attire was something that would catch the eye of anybody he wore a golden shirwan with white pants but he had a cotton gamcha or a very thin piece of bright red cloth with patterns which would be used by a lot of people in India to dry themselves off after a shower he was wearing glasses and had a long white beard which made him look even more suspicious he

was walking by the Entrance of our car and I noticed that he had his hands behind his back I could also see that he was carrying something which was shining under the lamp post that he was walking through this sent shivers down my spine as I told my mom jokingly should I be concerned that this man has a pumpkin knife in the dead of night since the knife I thought he had behind his back was a pumpkin knife used specifically in vegetable shops my mom paled all of a sudden at the thought While my dad

started laughing my mom shushed him down and asked where I had seen the man my dad parked the car in our parking lot as we got out of the car and I saw the man again walking freely inside the complex through the roads which connected each apartment our apartment complex is huge and we had certain roads which could lead to one Tower or another my mom caught sight of the man and started walking boldly behind him we hid behind Another car to run back to our apartment once the coast was clear my mother suddenly backed

off track and walked to to our apartment she met us at the ground floor of the apartment and she confirmed my suspicions she didn't want to call the police because she thought this might go two ways and that we could be wrong he might also just be a laborer in the near construction site and he was just there looking at Stuff I had a bad feeling in my stomach but since there was no security we couldn't really convey our worries to anybody while we were in the elevator to reach our floor my mom told me

that the man stood in the intersection on the road after a few meters in the road you come to the intersection if you go left there is the back gate where there are no security guards and that gate is closed after 10: p.m. if you go right there would be more roads which would Lead you to more Towers the man stood there at the intersection not knowing what to do and my mom told us to hurry before he could look back the most spy chilling part was what we learned the next day The Eighth Day

of the festival that one of the women in the tower had died she was 40 years old she was fine she had no complications in her age but then we found out that she was murdered in her bed and the door lock was burnt to Ashes we were told no more details until one of her sons confirmed our worst fears the the weapon used to kill her was a pumpkin [Applause] knife I was about 8 years old when this happened so that would make my brother 15 he was supposed to be babysitting me but instead

went over to his friend's house who lived about a mile away I was okay with this about an hour after he's gone the phone Rings I go into the kitchen to answer it on the other line a deep and raspy voice says Nolan this is the devil and I'm coming to get you and then hangs up I wasn't a complete idiot my brother always tormented me and he wasn't home I put two and two together and I knew that it was him just being a jerk about 30 seconds pass and the phone rings again Nolan

this is the devil I see you I said something like yeah Jack I know it's you looking back at it now what transpired feels like a real life version of the opening of scream this was 1991 so well before that movie came out over the course of about 20 minutes the same thing keeps happening noan this is the devil I'm coming for You and I would reply saying that I knew that it was my brother the intensity picked up and a tiny sliver of Doubt began to creep over me that maybe just maybe it wasn't

my brother so I called Mike's house to yell at my brother I got a hold of Jack and told him to stop it he downplayed what I was saying and told me not to worry about it just a prank then he tells me to call Him back if it happens again it felt sincere now I'm getting a little worried but was still pretty confident Jack was just being an a-hole sure enough a minute or two later this is the devil I don't know why I kept answering the phone but my mom was a busy realtor

and I was trained to always answer and take a message she even had one of those mobile phones even prior to those thick gray brick ones it was corded and built Into her car I say all this because we had two lines at home this being a few years before the AOL boom so it was pretty rare for other households to have a second line I knew this because none of my other friends had a second line call waiting sure but not a second line again the phone rings and the devil start saying his thing

and I just burst out it's not even funny Jack just stop just cut it then a beep on the line someone else was Calling I answer the other line and my blood ran cold it was my brother Jack checking on me Mike didn't have a second line I suddenly became a blubbering mess the next part is a blur this was in Minnesota during the middle of a heavy blizzard the next thing I know I'm running down the street with no jacket on and snow in my boots because I was too panicked to lace them up

it's not easy running in the snow but I didn't stop until I was about a block away from Mike's house there I see my brother and Mike leaving the house looking a little confused to see me then an evil grin broke out on his face as it turns out Mike's family did have a second line the whole thing was so stupid I knew it was Jack the whole time it had to be but I assumed it was Jack doing the stupid voice not his friend so that second line calling in while I was Talking to

the devil suddenly threw my 8-year-old sensibilities into the blender the whole thing went down into the lore of some of the top tier torment that my brother inflicted on Me growing up right up there with hanging me by my underwear from the window sill just high enough so the tips of my toes couldn't touch the floor or burrito wrapping me in the gym mat and duct taping it so I could not get Out thanks Jack October 2022 I was in Jamaica for My Best Friend's Wedding we had stayed at a nice all-inclusive resort it was

built like a kingdom with small portions of a village to go to restaurants insane pools clubs shops everything but you could tell it was pretty old with Renovations I was single then and stayed in my own room though I didn't spend Much time in there because we were out doing stuff well when traveling local food doesn't always agree with me so one night I stayed in just trying to find something on the TV to watch when late at night someone knocked on my door I knew my friend might come to check on me at some

point so so I figured that it was him but I opened the door to no one there the Halls were big and wide with marble floors so you could see in both directions and would surely hear someone Running away also the resort had two sides to it family and singles I was on the farthest side of the single side so I don't think there was any little kids playing pranks honestly I would say it's nearly impossible for someone to knock on the door and hide that quickly without hearing them sneak into another room or something

oh well I think later I'm sitting in the bathroom on the toilet cuz again the Jamaican Cuisine didn't Sit well with me and they actually had a landline telephone on the wall at the toilet how neat well the phone starts ringing I pick it up stunned and say hello there was a kind of analog log sputtering sound that had no rhythm to it just clicking sporadically so I hang up and at this point I'm really trying to pretend like both occurrences are just strange coincidences I told myself if the front Desk needed to call me

they would call back but they didn't it then occurred to me that I had only heard the phone ring from the bathroom and did not hear the phone by the bed ringing which shouldn't be the case if anyone was to call this room having no way to process this logically I try to put it out of my mind I have experienced some strange things before so I wasn't freaking out but this was beginning to mess with my peace of mind a Bit anyway I ended up getting some not so great sweaty sleep and feeling better

but not great the next morning I decided to take a long shower with the lights off something I found very relaxing when all of a sudden I hear another three knocks at the door only this sounded different it sounded louder closer it sounded like it had come not from the front door of the hotel room but the door to the Bathroom I sat in the darkness in the shower naked replaying the sounds of the knock in my head trying to convince myself that I was wrong but I wasn't my brain immediately recognized it as the

bathroom door and I have to trust that at that point I knew this was not normal this hotel room had another visitor when I mustered the courage to get out of the shower and hurriedly turn on all the lights I remembered something Peculiar had happened earlier in that trip so throughout the trip I kept having problems with my key card I had to have a new key card linked to my door twice seemingly for no good reason once it was 2:00 in the morning and I was very drunk and sat outside my door for about

20 minutes waiting for a maintenance guy to come help he comes and links a new key to my door and I ask him why does this keep happening and he Responded this is an old Resort some strange things happen here sometimes he said this with a bit of a smirk on his face I'm starting to think that the Olympic National Forest isn't the best place for me to get my outdoor fix for some context I'm not a big guy I am average height with a lanky build maybe that has something to do with this part

or maybe it's something else that has ingrained that habit into me but if I'm In the Woods dead or alive you won't catch me without a sidearm several years ago a friend of mine admitted what her parents called camping was equivalent to going to a hotel coming from a long line of outdoorsmen I jumped at the opportunity to get someone out in nature properly we started off slow pitched tents in the backyard then then moved onto a glamping style Campground then to a less fancy area and Eventually into the Bonafide Untamed Wilderness all was well

I headed up early and cleared the spot a flat area on top of a mountain I got the dog situated started a campfire and did my best to make the space as welcoming as I could in hopes to comfort my friend's nerves my wife my friend and my friend's husband drove up and we all remarked about the view and the location all went well that first night some deer and a couple of early morning Dirt bikers came through but nothing off-putting it was in the peak of Summer and while this spot was beautiful it lacked

a nearby water source there two dogs ours and all the humans piled into my truck as we went in search of a creek this might be a good time to explain how I find camping and fishing spots since I prefer to be far away from people I hop on Google Maps and pick a general area I zoom in and follow logging roads around to see if I can get where I want to go Plunk down in a location pin to get the coordinates and boom off we go finding this Creek was no different one of

the downsides of that method for finding locations is the satellite images may not be good representation of how that area presently looks though sure enough the path to the creek was not ideal instead of everyone getting out to see if there was a viable spot I volunteered to go see if the path was worthwhile for us especially with four excited dogs to Unload and walk down there for after some ways down it was apparent that too many trees had fallen and blocked the path for this to be an easy trick for someone already being being

pushed to their limit with the outdoors I head back enjoying the Clean Air and welcomed breeze on the hot day I round the bend grass nearly 6 ft tall to both sides of me but a few feet wide of a decent path up to the road where we parked just up the hill I don't remember What I was thinking about in that moment but what I will never forget is that sound a sound that shook me to my core you ever hear a sound bite of a mountain lion for a movie or a show well

I'll be damned if what I heard less than 10 yard from me didn't sound exactly like that there was no mistaking it it was only me out there while the rest were inside the truck that cougar sounded off because of me I was being warned and neither of us were happy About it immediately I spun a 180 to face what I didn't want to see only to see nothing you know I think that that was worse than if I had seen it on the path when I spun around like some old western cowboy moves I

reached for my holster unclipped it and had the weapon pulled out by the time I was done with my terrified ballerina moves it was somewhere in that tall grass and while I couldn't see it I have no doubt that it Could certainly see me lovely I walk backwards up the hill praying I didn't trip over a rock or something and fall just so this big cat can show me its vocals weren't the only thing that would be piercing my heart that day all the way up to the road I'm sure that was quite the sight

for the group seeing me emerge onto the road walking backwards with a weapon in my hand come to find out I had been gone for long enough they even discussed how Would I communicate with them if I got into trouble instead of having a laugh about it I opened the truck door got in shut the door and then holstered my 9 mm when typically I would have done so before opening the door I don't remember who asked but someone asked what happened or something to that effect all I remember saying was we aren't going down

there before turning the truck around and driving off I wish I could tell you that is Where the story ends but unfortunately it's not we head back to Camp it's about a 7M drive and it's about 3 Mi as the crow flies from that Creek up and down a few Mountain sides and windy roads we move on from The Experience after one word answers any question they had cougar we make dinner and forget about it for the most part I try to but fail night arrives and we are hanging out by the Campfire I'm doing

my best to not draw attention to the fact that I'm incessantly scanning our surroundings after a while I think I'm just paranoid sure it wasn't happy with me but I'm not prey right and we are a handful of loud folks with a roaring fire and four decent sized dogs it's all in my head I thought the Gate of an animal the way they walk it's easy to confuse some animals for others but big cats nothing moves like a big Cat and sure as hell why do I see crossing the only road to go to and

from our camp about 100 yard away lit up only by the Moonlight and the confirmation to my fears that wasn't a bear not a coyote nothing slinks through the night like that except for one thing my dear old friend the mountain lion I have officially been slapped with a reminder that humans aren't at the top of the food chain out here the realization that The saying they are more afraid of you than you are of them is something only said by someone who hasn't been stalked for several miles and several hours later after driving a

vehicle and leaving virtually no trail behind the reminder that I was The Outsider and I was the one trespassing we slept in our vehicles that night while I'll eventually make my way out to the woods again I think it's safe to say my friend decided the Wilderness maybe Was a little too wild sometimes for anyone no matter your experience level that is planning to head into nature soon enjoy the peace it brings but never forget out there you are nothing more than a visitor in someone else's home I have a close friend who used to

work as a pool man and he recently told me this truly terrifying tale he used to do a lot of pools for clients in a place Where most of the homes were used as vacation homes so most most of his clients were of course not at home at the time that he did their pool service so sometimes on particularly hot days he and his assistant would take a short swim before they treated the pool with all of the chemicals that they had to use as you probably know pools are typically treated or shocked quote unquote

with chlorine and sometimes the chlorine levels May mean that you can't Swim in the pool for a day or two after the shock treatment and this day seemed really hot especially after the thought of having to work outside the pool In the Heat of the midday Sun whilst seeing the tempting and cool water the whole time my friend happen to know this particular client quite well and since said client was out of town at the time my friend knew that it would be okay if he invited his wife and mother over to swim and have

lunch since both his wife And his mother lived only a short distance away they both happily agreed and soon the family was together enjoying a large sub sandwich with some chips and potato salad together I guess the old rule about not swimming so soon after you eat is now considered sort of an old wives tale because after everyone finished their lunch my friend took the liberty of being the first one into the soothing cool water on that uncomfortable and hot day not being one To just dive right into the deep end though my friend started

out in the sh H end and enjoyed the immediate cool down his assistant his wife and his mother were still at the poolside picnic table cleaning up the leftovers and garbage from their lunch my friend says that he remembers feeling a very very slight tingle in his hands and arms but he wasn't alarmed by it he was too busy just enjoying the cool water on his hot skin after a few minutes of relaxing in The shallow end of the large built-in pool my friend started swimming towards the deep end so that he could totally plunge

himself into the water but just as he was reaching the deeper waters he started to really notice the tingling sensation getting more intense and he was now experiencing it in his arms and his legs he was forced to stop paddling into the deep end as all of his strength seemed to leave his muscles at once but it was too late the tingling sensation Was now so bad that he could hardly move at all as he drifted helplessly into the deep end he felt a terrifying chill as he realized that he was now unable to touch

the bottom of the pool unable to move an inch it seemed as though his muscles were all giving out on him at once and it started to Dawn on him that he felt like he was being electrocuted as my friend began began to sink underwater he tried desperately to break the water surface for a short Breath and he caught brief glimpses of life just continuing on before him his mother his wife and his assistant were all oblivious to his plight the situation got even more terrifying when my friend's wife and mother finally noticed that he

appeared to be drowning and they all ran over to the pool ready to jump in and help with a burst of strength my friend managed to choke out don't I'm being electrocuted in an attempt to stop them From jumping into the deadly water or touching him to try and rescue him and then getting shocked themselves there was nothing left for his wife his mother or his assistant to do except watch in shock and horror as they realized that they really had no idea how to save him my friend says that right about then he started

to feel totally drained then he started to feel himself giving up a peaceful feeling began to settle over him as he started to sink he gazed up at The bright Lively sun shining down on him through the Silvery Rippling water and he felt more at peace in that moment than he ever had before as a lifetime seemed to pass my friend sank lower and lower towards the pool's cement bottom but finally just as he had almost completely given up on Surviving his mysterious and terrifying ordeal his feet finally made contact with the bottom that caused

him to ground out or Something he said and that right there it gave him the life-saving jolt of electricity that he needed to survive as he shot off the bottom of the pool he used that last bit of strength in order to save his own life fortunately for him he had somehow drifted close closer to the edge of the pool and that allowed him to get a grip on the side and pull himself up and out as he shot out of the water as he put it in an instant as he lay there on the

pool's Edge catching his breath he didn't even care about the heat of the cement touching his skin in fact he was just grateful to be out of the water it wasn't until a little while later after my friend's client got home from out of town that he finally got to find out what actually happened to him that fful day as it turned out his client had just had a new pool light installed a few feet under the water on the far side of the pool in the deep end earlier that Very same day obviously the

light was somehow wired and installed wrong therefore literally electrocuting my friend as he simply tried to enjoy an afternoon dip in a hot day in the cool pool he is extremely thankful that he was the first and only one to jump into the pool that day it just goes to show at least in my eyes that danger can often lurk in unexpected places allowing others around you to be completely and totally Oblivious to your dangerous situation not only that but it also alarms me just how quickly anyone's life can change or even end at any

given moment [Applause] growing up my cousin and I spent a lot of time together we were the type that would get in trouble for laughing and giggling well after the Midnight Hour we often stayed at our grandparents house out in the middle of nowhere North Carolina at the very end of the dirt road that their house was off there was a very old dilapidated house with The Haunting history according to our Papa via the previous landowner the house was the property of a woman left after the remaining members of her family had long passed she

dabbled in things occult related and was said to have practiced black magic curses on people and using the gift she was said to have for negativity she kept to herself and was Ridiculed unwelcome at the time with the small town that inhabited the area after a very negative encounter with someone in a local shop she was said to have gone home created a new curse and then took her life to finalize the hex on the home and the land any future inhabitants of her home would experience paranormal and some even said demonic Activity one night

as we were having a sleepover my cousin who we will call te and I decided that it would be a good Night to visit the haunted house at the end of the dirt road we waited until our grandparents fell asleep which all we had to listen for was the loud and obnoxious snoring of pawpaw once we heard the infamous snoring we knew we were home free so dressed in all black clothing We snuck foot first out of the bedroom window it was approximately 1:45 a.m. on the way to the house we joked and played around

with one another our conversations based on the fact that We were finally going to see the house after years of talking about going sneaking out and trying to hunt a ghost we were Beyond excited so to speak when we arrived at the house flashlights lighting up the front exterior we spotted the way in luckily it was the front door this door was hanging Loosely on its last hinge a joke of a door to be honest T and I pulled at the door and it came off its last hinge Completely together we laid on what was

left of the front porch and shined our lights into the room this room was missing part of the floor that over time had sunken into the Earth and plants had begun inhabiting the room we entered anyway touring the home we began to discuss what we imagined it looked like in the past the area we supposed was the kitchen we lined in our imaginative conversation with wooden cabinets and a gas stove Around the corner of what was at one time in the kitchen I spotted a very narrow and steep staircase leading up neither of us had

ever seen such a staircase before I shown my light on it and called te to come look at what I had discovered Brave as we were then we decided that it was a good decision to climb up and see what we found as we climbed the stairs we both froze in place as we heard what sounded like a woman's scream as loud as she Possibly could Standing There Eyes Wide skin crawling and hearts pounding we both pointed our lights in the direction of the scream but the light landed on just a wall we then laughed

That Awkward laugh the one that says we heard that but it was something explainable and with just our eyes deciding that we would keep climbing as we reached the top of the stairs we entered a room this room Looked as though it were not attached to the same rundown ruined house that we entered there were papers scattered upon the floor symbols painted on the wall neither of us understood but today just the symbols on the wall would have caused me to tuck tail and run they were symbols of conjuring symbols that called upon dangerous entities

back then we saw them as bad artwork and just laughed at this time I would have cleansed myself upon leaving T stepped forward as I warned her that based on the dilapidation of the rest of the home to be weary of where she stepped as she crossed safely I followed behind and as I did the floor began freaking and almost screaming under my feet I took six steps toward te when the area of the floor I was standing on collapsed and down we both fell the flooring landing on us both te was able to wiggle

her way out but I was stuck there was no way I was pulling myself Out from under the flooring as most of it landed upon me and to make the situation worse a huge piece of the floor blocked the only Safe Way in and out of the house as te struggled to move the flooring off me causing bursts of pain from my knee I analyzed our situation trying to come up with an Escape Plan neither of us had phones only one of us now had a flashlight and we were not supposed to be there at

all this night took a terrifying turn Quickly in the back of our minds we never forgot the scream I locked eyes on a small window window just big enough for tea to get out of I pointed this out and handed her my flashlight as she turned and made her way out the window pulled herself up and put her feet out slipping outside she left me in the complete empty full of possibilities and darkness my scanning of the room in panic was interrupted by tea yelling out In pain I called out to her asking what happened

and she informed me that under the window what was referred to as sticky Brier bushes so she slid out the window dropped about 5 ft directly into Thorns I could hear her call out in pain as she struggled to rip herself out of the bushes and into Freedom continuously scanning the room allowing every shadow darker than the next to cause my heart to accelerate I spotted something something that was not in Place a silhouette of a woman crouched in the corner staring at me Beyond Terror at this point I called out to te asking where

she was as I watched the silhouette stand up and take one step towards me I screamed T replied with a scream of a own as she inched her way out of the Briars I'm out she yelled at me but I was shocked Frozen words unable to come out I swear my mouth moved hurry but nothing came out as the silhouette moved Closer and closer I shut my eyes tight and started trying to pry myself free each tug and pull causing a searing ripping pain through my thigh but I wanted away from the shadow in the

corner the shadow that wanted me I could feel all through about me that I was In Harm's Way I could feel the negativity of this silhouette emitted finally able to produce my voice I screamed in a panic for Te to hurry up to come back to save me I opened my eyes And the silhouette was no longer a dark shadow form she had features transparent but I could make out the eyes the nose the mouth the long black hair she was so close I could smell the death on her closing my eyes again I started

crying I was so terrified I questioned everything that I had ever believed the shock to my system in that moment had caused every limb in my body to run ice cold and my fight or flight kicked in as I began to fight I pulled and tugged Through the pain as I released my leg from under the flooring te's flashlight hit me and I opened my eyes finally as the woman shifted back into nothing but Shadows T was standing there staring into the empty space that the woman stood in her eyes never leaving the wall she

saw her too the last of her I watched her the entire time I was there to this day I have never spoke with te about the woman because what is there to say did you see her too that doesn't do That moment any justice I know she saw her and I know she was as petrified with fear as I was we made it back to our window and back onto the air mattress bed right before our grandparents woke for church lying our faces covered pretending to have been asleep the entire time we denied joining them

for church stating that te had a bad headache and I was going to stay and take care of her once they left and we were sure that they Would not turn around for something forgotten we threw the blankets down and assessed our injuries tea was covered in Thorn prickles and I had three gashes and what looked like claw marks on the inside of my thigh blood seeping through the rips in my jeans we patched each other up and though we knew the gashes in my leg most likely needed stitches we did the patching ourselves and

never Told a soul I still wear scars on my right thigh to the side above the kneecap a permanent memory seared into the eyes of the Shadow woman in my mind forever I still dream of her and when I do she's asking me to return to the house or she's Fading Into view her features becoming ominent from the Shadows even in my dreams I feel the evil that she eludes I feel the terror and I'll wake Up sweating my sleep paralysis moments always involve her have I carried her all this time [Applause] rewind back to

around 2010 I was about 9 or 10 years old and it was a lovely Summer's evening in the midwest my buddy who I'll call Chase for this story invited me and two of my other friends in the neighborhood over for a sleepover like I said we were at an age Where close adult supervision was starting to slip and Chase's house was a great spot for unsupervised Ed Shenanigans Chase was adopted by a relatively older couple I remember his parents being in their late 50s While most of the rest of ours were in their late 30s

early 40s his father was paralyzed from the legs down while serving in the Gulf War and required caretakers and his mom was some kind of business executive who Wasn't in town too much in addition to this Chase's only sibling was much older and we had already moved out for college by this time so whenever we were hanging out there there was almost never any eyes on us we never did anything bad but typical stupid stuff you would imagine kids at the time would do shooting Airsoft guns putting all kinds of crazy seasonings in an instant

Ramen staying up late playing m-rated games that none of us had yet that kind of stuff Chase's house was also by far the biggest house in the neighborhood too sitting on top of a hill with a gate a big long driveway and a huge yard that surrounded the perimeter of the house that backed into a wooded area which eventually led into a state forest this one particular night Chase has the idea that we should set up a tent in the woods and camp out for the night while I don't think any of us were jumping

out out of our skin to do this We all complied on the condition that we stayed at the edge of the wood so we could use the bathroom and get snacks easily from the house we set the tent up laid out our sleeping bags grabbed as much junk food as physically possible and hung out in the tent for the night we goof around for a few hours even after the sun sets until the sugar high dies off and the unhealthy food settles in we one by one start to fall asleep I was usually the First

one to crash at sleepovers and tonight was no different however this sleep was not for long I get woken up by someone shaking me out of the pitch black as my eyes adjust the concerned face of my friend comes into Focus before I can chew him out for waking me up he says do you hear that I sat up and carefully until I hear the noise he's talking about noticing another one of my Friends was awake too it was a whistle somebody out in the woods was whistling each whistle was drawn out and breathy followed

by another equally drawn out note even writing about this now still gives me goosebumps from the sounds of it it wasn't that close but not that far either I'm sure my expression turned to that of Horror as my other friend woke the last friend up we all sit in silence and listened for a minute to try and determine the direction of the whistling it could have been coming from the house maybe one of Chase's dad's caretakers decided to stay the night which didn't usually happen but it didn't take long for us to realize that the

whistling was coming from the woods and Not only was it coming from there it was getting closer to us with that we Were out of there it probably took us 15 seconds to get our shoes on and Sprint to the front porch we left everything in there our snacks pillows sleeping bags DS's and we did not dare to go back under the light of this heavily illuminated driveway which was basically a mini parking lot we all gained a newfound confidence at this time we managed to convince ourselves that we weren't Scared so we got our

airsoft guns from the garage and started taking trash and shooting into the woods basically trying to intimidate or shoot whoever was out there as we were yelling like a bunch of idiots we weren't able to hear anything but at some point when we cooled down we we listened intently and still heard nothing knowing that we were satisfied and we went to sleep on the floor of his living room after playing a little bit Of Xbox while that experience was creepy what was really terrifying is what happened the next morning we all woke up and started

talking about how creepy everything that happened last night was and under the light of day made the walk down to the tent as we got closer we noticed something looked off about the tent it had been completely trashed the rain tarp had been mostly pulled off and It looked like one corner of the tent had caved in like someone broke one of the poles yeah we had left in a hurry but it felt hard to believe four 10-year-olds could do this much damage making our way over to the front of the the tent my face

dropped when we saw the true extent of the Carnage everything inside was trashed our snacks had been dumped out and seemingly stomped on several of the Sleeping bags and pillows had been thrown into the woods Chase's DS had been snapped in half and worst of all one of the sides of the tent had slit all along the side of it as if some psycho had a stabbing frenzy when he realized there was nobody in there all of us said shockingly little about it despite all of the bravado we had been boasting about how we scared

off whoever was in the woods the previous night and earlier that Morning the four of us packed up the tent we got back on our bikes and headed home nobody mentioned it to their parents partly out of fear of trouble and partly to delegitimize what had just happened Chase's family probably never would have used the tent again anyways and I'm sure he had to convince his parents to buy him a new DS as he said he lost his after this sleepover we all kind of naturally separated as friends it was at The end of summer

of fifth grade and Chase ended up going to a private Middle School while the rest of us went to a public school which we were then separated into different clicks there I know never thought about the incident again until I ran into one of the other friends there recently when I went back in my hometown visiting family after catching up we exchanged numbers and recently after seeing a Reddit Thread about submitting your own Scary stories all of these memories came rushing back I texted him asking if he remembers that night and he calls me right

after and basically lays out every single detail exactly as I remembered it immediately after I spent the last half hour writing all this down in my phone if there's any takeaway from this it's you should always stick to that instant gut instinct you get when Something seems off because if it seems like it it probably is [Applause] I grew up in a small New England Town drenched with history and their old world charm among the host of historical places there stood one the old millhous which was really more unsettling than the rest being a relic

from times past it was abandoned and crumbling it was a Mill in the late 1800s and the town's folk used to tell how haunted it was of course most people dismissed this as a rumor well to a teenager the call to explore abandoned places was exciting an old millhous had made it onto the top of our list that rather crisp October night finally came when we thought it was time to find out what really had become of the those rumors armed with flashlights and our Heads full of Adventure we set out to get into the

decaying building the night was Pitch Black moonless it seemed like the bat cloth for that perfect ghost story the status of the Old Mill housee seemed to grow in stature the closer that we got to it against the dark sky the trees nearby whispered Symphonies to us with their rustling leaves as the wind stirred through beckoning us closer my friends Jake and Emily were as Excited as me though in their eyes I could feel a little envious nerve we entered the old house from the front door the floorboards creaked under our feet the atmosphere was

heavy like soup full of dust and mildew the flashlights probed very long Shadows on the walls lightening up the peeling wallpaper and the broken panes of Glass on the windows I couldn't help feeling that there was a pressed atmosphere around us As if the house itself was alive and knew of our presence we wandered into the rooms and gathered pieces of the past old furniture covered in cobwebs papers lying on the floor and Rusty tools the workers at the Mill had left behind mind it was unsettling to reach deeper into the mill as we were

being watched yet nevertheless nobody was in sight we came to the basement area of the mill where the old Machinery used to be the air Became much colder and I felt a chill down my spine that I couldn't describe Jake ever the skeptic laughed nervously this place is creepy but I really don't see ghosts he said as if he were trying to lighten the mood Emily was visibly shaken though I don't like this guys let's just go ignoring her plea we pressed on curiosity getting the better of us at the very end of this basement

an old wooden door showed itself to us a jar Pushing it open we found ourselves in a rather small and darkened room in the middle sat a large stone round in shape etched with strange symbols it looked to be some kind of ritualistic altar a sudden overwhelming sense of dread washed over me my flashlight flickered and then went out I heard Emily gasp in the sudden Darkness did you feel that she whispered I nodded even though I really Wasn't sure what that was the next thing that happened was that the temperature dropped again and we

could see our breath misting in the cold air a faint ethereal light began to emanate from the stone Illuminating the room with an otherworldly glow we stood Frozen unable to move or speak then suddenly there was an increase in illumination and a figure began to take shape above the Stone it was a woman her form translucent clad in a tattered old-fashioned dress her face was gaunt and pale her eyes sunken and consumed by sorrow she reached out towards us her hand passed through the air like Mist help me she whispered the words echoing in that

tiny room Jake had turned white and he recoiled to stumble over a loose floorboard Emily clutched my arm tight Her eyes wide with fear the ghostly figure stretched out a hand her eyes pleading desperate help me find my child she said again this time hardly above a whisper we finally snapped out of our trance and bolted for the stairs scrambling to get out of the basement outside we didn't stop running until well out of breath behind us stood the old Millhouse staring back at us in dark windows that resembled empty eyes We were shaken and

perplexed by the encounter we never spoke about it to anyone fearing that no one would believe us that was an experience as real as real gets and the one that would haunt us for many years to come it was later that we learned about Maggie a lady who once owned that Mill and who on a fateful night mysteriously lost her only child Margaret herself spent her entire life searching for her missing child and she died eventually From heartbreak we had Disturbed the Restless Spirit forever confined to the old Millhouse in search of the child she

never found to this day I cannot drive past that old building without a chill running down my spine to remind me of the night we came face to face with the supernatural that Haunted Mill property is something that I will never be able to Forget it's an experience that will be forever etched into my memory [Applause] [Applause] in order to understand my motivations here is some context I am a 35-year-old woman who lives alone in a house with my cat I am also exceedingly neurotic and tend to think overly philosophically about everything I am neurod

Divergent in several ways but what's most important To this story is that I have extreme ADHD a very high IQ insomnia and a chronic anxiety disorder given that I have always been like this I tend to find ways to focus and use these disorders to my advantage rather than letting them control me when I'm rewatching my favorite movies or TV shows to catch things I missed I used to try and get them written down on my iPhone Notes app as you might be able to guess a lot of the times I have a good Idea

it's floated away before I can start typing Ergo I have taken to recording audio notes for myself to try and catch more of my particularly interesting streams of Consciousness some of these are really funny because it sometimes catches the moments and idea floats away momentarily followed by a subsequent frustration some of of these are too obvious to be saved as a new idea and some aren't a fully formed idea yet but Hearing my voice say them keeps it in my brain much easier to come back to as a result when I can't sleep I will

be enjoying my scotch and watching one of my nerdiest favorites when I record notes I immediately listen to it to decide if it was good enough to come back to in the morning to re-evaluate a few months ago I was rewatching The Hunger Games movies and this stream of Consciousness related to a sliding scale of apathy that defines The differences between characters it's essentially two gsen curves one for the capital and one for the districts out leers are obvious to those who know the story Effie has an increasing empathy in her character Arc while the

most empathetic character Katniss has to gain a level of of apathy to succeed I took an audio note just after midnight when I know I was babbling on for at least a minute about a spectrum of Apathy so I immediately listened to the note home alone with no lights on and several glasses of scotch deep on this one something ridiculously strange got picked up it caught my voice and my words for about 11 seconds before my voice vanished into do essentially a void of sound even stranger the rest of the video is filled with bizarre

EVP kinds of sounds especially with the same thing everyone has heard sounds like Growling demonic growling this happens the rest of the video and not a single word or sound I am making comes back upon my first listen at those 11 seconds in my heart briefly stopped my blood ran cold I got chills all over my body that I just felt again riding this and I lost the ability to breathe I know this is long but I'm trying to put yourself in my shoes at that moment I already know that the Paranormal realm is real

but I have a ridiculously high scare tolerance because my favorite pastime is marathons of scary movies alone in the dark in the wee hours of the morning I don't get scared much but this shook me to my core I saved that audio note along with the next one where you can hear my voice uncharacteristically freaking out and I say something to the effect of next thought if it picks up my voice this time instead of the ghost That might be living in my house with me what the hell was that followed by my mindless Babble

that clearly stopped the Arc of Epic thoughts in their tracks it is almost certainly an audio glitch but if you could hear my video it scares the crap out of everyone I can tell you it's unlike anything I've ever heard and my sound editing Savvy friends haven't quite made sense of it so an audio glitch that happened for no discernable reason for The first time and is never happened again an audio glitch is likely but why did it happen if you're wondering no I am not scared and not moving out of my beloved house everyone

thinks I am insane but I have knowingly fallen asleep 6 ft from a paranormal entity in a haunted hotel suite along with spending two nights alone in famously haunted graveyards during my earlier search for my first paranormal experience exp Erience also I obviously listen to being scared and a few other channels to fall asleep every night by my logic if an entity has lived with me for years without any other experiences it's almost certainly harmless plus I actually would be one of those people to knowingly purchase a haunted house because the creepy is my comfort

zone if there's a way to share the audio let me Know now if anything else happens my Blas attitude might change sleep well everybody don't let the bed bugs or the demons [Applause] bite this story takes place several years ago I'm now a 20-year-old female but at the time I must have been around 16 that being said the dialogue may not be completely accurate but I will recall the conversation the best I can my mom And I were at Walmart getting groceries and while we were standing in line to check out my mom noticed the

guy behind us only had like two items in his hands and we had way more so she asked if he wanted to go ahead of us when I turned to look at the guy my mom was talking to I know this sounds cliche but I immediately got a terrible feeling about him it wasn't really anything about his physical appearance that scared me it was just his eyes he was just a Middle-aged white guy wearing a hoodie and a beanie I didn't even want to make eye contact with him because something about the look in his

eyes scared me so I just turned back around the guy replied to my mom no thanks I'm not impatient about anything I just got out of prison after 27 years my heart dropped as he said this but then he added for a crime I didn't commit that last statement helped slightly with my racing heart but I Still just knew something was off about this man and I considered that he could have been lying my mom just said something like wow that's a long time and he responded yep have you heard about the Donald whan case

my mom said she hadn't and the guy said something like that's kind of surprising because it's pretty well known in Central Illinois he then went on to tell us that his name is Donald whan and his father Had been murdered almost 30 years ago and he had been charged with it which is why he was in prison for 27 years he seemed almost proud of it which also threw me off my mom continued talking to him about it but I still didn't engage with him I was thankful I was still a teenager and he was

an adult because it made me feel like I wasn't obligated to talk to him so I just let my mom handle it my mom is a very friendly person who likes to give Everyone the benefit of the doubt she talked to him longer than I would have he said something like yeah if you look up Donald whan balloon Bloomington Illinois you can learn more about it there's a video on YouTube of them releasing me from prison my mom continued talking to him about how crazy it is that he was incarcerated unjustly for so long until

it was our turn to check out and we left the store after that as soon as we got to the car we Googled his name and found out it was really recent that he was released from prison apparently from my understanding he was granted a new trial and was released on bond after there was new DNA discovered on the pool queue that was found near his father's body the murder took place in downtown Bloomington Illinois in 1991 in a bar that was owned by William whan Donald's father in the car I asked my mom if

she Really believed he was innocent and she said yes I didn't argue much about it with her I just said something's really off about him though I feel like he's definitely done something evil whether it was murdering his father or not my mom said something about how some people who have been in prison for a long time may just give off bad energy just from being in that environment for so long I said yeah that's true but I still know in my gut that it was more than that With this guy by the way for

anyone listening to this who may want to look up more information about this case his name is spelled like the animal whale but with the letter N after it I kept researching more about it and I also asked my dad if he knew anything about it it turns out that sometime after the murder probably years later my dad had worked in the same bar that the murder took place my dad said that from what he heard from co-workers and others who Frequented the bar back when Donald whan had been a drug addict and he had

murdered his father to Rob him at the bar he owned my dad was fully convinced that this was true so that further convinced me that my suspicions were Justified I continued looking into the case in the following months and I found out that he was sent back to prison to complete his 30-year sentence along with an additional 3 years during his few months that he was Out of prison he had violated the terms of traveling to places outside of where he was supposed to be while out on bond but the other charge he received was

a domestic battery charge and he had unlawfully restrained a woman about a year ago I went back to the YouTube video of him being released from prison and read the comments multiple people in the comments were saying that they had met this guy in various public places just like my Mom and I had apparently he was all too eager to talk about his father's murder and his time in prison that seems like a weird thing to brag about out and bring up to everyone you just met but I digress as far as I know he

is still in prison even though it's still not clear whether he was the one who murdered his father it is good to know that my original suspicion that something was off about him was correct those charges He acred in just a few months of being out of prison proved he's someone who probably deserves to stay there for all I know we could have met him the same day that he restrained that woman always trust your [Applause] intuition I'm currently a student living in Southwestern Ontario in a small rural municipality by the name of Norfolk County

I live out in the country with my family on my father's property near the Town of Waterford Ontario aside from the stereotypical rural pastimes the farm chores the School drama with what basically surmounts to knowing the entire generation of kids your age in the area and trying to keep yourself both sane and able to graduate and get out of the area as fast as possible there isn't really much to do we keep animals chickens goats a couple horses even some peacocks talks but aside from that I Basically just mind my studies and spend my time

scanning through my phone and listening to podcasts I love creepy pastas and I've been an active listener since I found this channel a few years ago a while back I came across something that I could not believe not because I didn't think it was possible but because the same thing happened to me and as I listened I was floored when I found out that it happened in my Hometown probably to someone I know but they didn't give any inkling as to who they might be it took me a while to work up the courage to

sit down and write this all out but after I showed this to my other friends who witnessed this thing they pushed hard for me to do so and so here I am one evening my friends Emma Sarah and I decided to take a break from our schoolwork and and go for a drive we are kind of goody goodies no Troublemakers although my parents wouldn't believe that if they heard me say it just some girls who enjoy the simple things and try to stay out of the shenanigans everybody else our age seems to get involved in

that night we drove through the Norfolk County Countryside the Harvest Moon casting an eerie red glow over the fields of corn and the trees that lined the road Road it was the perfect night for a drive and the Autumn air was crisp and Refreshing we were chatting and laughing our conversations consisting of the usual teenage banter Emma was in the front seat beside me and Sarah was in the back scrolling through her playlist to find the perfect song we had no idea that our peaceful night was about to take a terrifying turn we decided to

take a detour to a spot that we loved near the edge of the forest where an old abandoned Barn stood it was a place we had visited many times During the day but never at night the barn was said to be haunted but we never took those stories seriously we thought it would be fun to explore a bit and take pictures in the Moonlight as we approached the barn the atmosphere seemed to change the air grew cold older and a thick Mist began to roll in from the fields I parked the car and we stepped

out the crunch of gravel under our feet echoing in the Silence the barn loomed ahead of us its weathered wood glowing faintly in the Moonlight we made our way towards the entrance our flashlights cutting through the darkness inside the barn was filled with shadows the beams of our lights revealing piles of old hay and rusted farming equipment we started to explore our laughter echoing off the walls suddenly Sarah stopped and pointed towards the far corner of the Barn did you see that she whispered her voice trembling Emma and I turned our flashlights in the direction

she was pointing at first I saw nothing but Shadows then I I saw it a figure just barely visible in the dim light standing completely still it was tall and thin with long limbs that seemed to blend into the darkness my heart began to race as I realized it was watching Us who's there I called out feeling kind of silly as I tried to sound tougher than I am there was no response the figure remained still its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up

as a chill ran down my spine we should go Emma whispered her voice shaking now we started to back away slowly Keeping our flashlights trained on the figure but as we moved it began to follow us its movements slow and deliberate it was like nothing I had had ever seen before its hulking presence radiating a menacing sense of predatory thirst and Dread as we reached the entrance of the barn the figure stopped for a moment it seemed to hesitate then it let out a low guttural growl that sent us running we sprinted back to the

car our footsteps Pounding against the gravel I fumbled with the keys finally managing to unlock the doors we scrambled inside locking the doors behind us I started the car and floored the gas pedal the tires screeching as we sped away from the barn none of us spoke for a long time the silence in the car filled with only the sound of our ragged breathing when we finally reached the safety of my house we sat in the Driveway trying to process what had just happened none of us could believe what we had seen we came face

to face with something straight out of a nightmare maybe it was nothing maybe there was something out there perhaps all those fairy tales we grew up hearing with stories of ghosts and Ghouls and werewolves stalking the borders of far-flung farmlands had some truth to them we didn't know what it was or why It was there but we all agreed agreed on one thing we would never go back to that Barn at night again that night our safe familiar world was forever changed by the realization that sometimes there are things lurking in the darkness that we

cannot explain and that some stories no matter how unbelievable they may seem are rooted in a terrifying reality [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] for [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause]

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